PBDB Collection

West Point Layer C (Miocene to of South Atlantic)

Where: Falkland Islands, South Atlantic (51.4° S, 60.7° W: paleocoordinates 51.5° S, 57.3° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Middle Miocene to Middle Miocene (16.0 - 3.6 Ma)

• The preferred Middle? Miocene to Early Pliocene age limits are based on presence of the (now) mesotherm to typically megatherm genera Araucaria, Hedyosmum and Ovidia in a type of evergreen rainforest (podocarp-Nothofagus tall closed forest sensu Specht, 1970) that is now confined to relatively cool and uniformly wet climates in southern South America, New Zealand and Tasmania.

•

•Halle (1911: 210−211) subdivided the Forest Bed into two units (layers) based on texture and organic content: Layer C and Layer D.

Environment/lithology: mire or swamp; lithified, massive, yellow claystone

• Quantitative analyses of lignites from the Bass and Gippsland Basins and Southeastern Highlands in southeast Australia indicate that another commonly occurring gymnosperm in the Forest Bed (Podosporites microsaccatus) was common in heath and some coastal freshwater swamps, and in analogous upland environments during the Tertiary (Tulip et al., 1982; Macphail et al., 1994, M.K. Macphail and A.D. Partridge unpubl. data).

• Layer c, comprising a stone-free massive yellow clay with thin organic laminae (stringers).

•

•The Forest Bed is sandwiched between Quaternary clays and the Palaeozoic bedrock at the rear of West Point Harbour. No equivalent deposit of densely packed tree remains in an organic mud matrix has been found anywhere else in the Falklands, suggesting that accumulation and long-term preservation of the deposit are the result of highly unusual circumstances. These almost certainly include topographic factors, for exam- ple the bay is encircled by steep hills, and the protection afforded to the wood-rich stratum by the overlying stony solifluction clays.

Size class: microfossils

Preservation: original sporopollenin

Collected in 1996 and 1997

Collection methods: chemical, hydroflouric,

• Samples collected in 1996 and 1907 represent Halle's Layers c and d, respectively.

•Slides from Halle's original collection are housed at the Swedish Museum of Natural History (Stockholm).

Primary reference: M. Macphail and D. J. Cantrill. 2006. Age and implications of the Forest Bed, Falkland Islands, southwest Atlantic Ocean: Evidence from fossil pollen and spores. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (240)602-629 [C. Jaramillo/C. Jaramillo]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 169355: authorized by Carlos Jaramillo, entered by Carlos Jaramillo on 20.05.2015

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

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unclassified
-	Lateropora glabra, Chenoodipollis chenopodiaceoides Lateropora glabra Chenoodipollis chenopodiaceoides
Equisetopsida
Pinidae - Pinidae	Araucariacites australis Araucariacites australis Cookson 1947
Cupressales - Pinidae	Inaperturopollenites sp. Inaperturopollenites sp. Potonié 1966
Algae
- Botryococcaceae	Botryococcus braunii Botryococcus braunii Kutzing 1849
Dicotyledoneae
Myrtales -	Myrtaceidites eucalyptoides, Myrtaceidites verrucosus Myrtaceidites eucalyptoides Myrtaceidites verrucosus Partridge 1973
Ericales - Ericaceae	Ericipites sp. Ericipites sp. Wodehouse 1933 heather
Angiospermae
Fagales -	Nothofagidites cf. brachyspinulosus, Nothofagidites flemingii, Nothofagidites americanus, Nothofagidites cf. acromegacanthus, Nothofagidites saraensis Nothofagidites cf. brachyspinulosus Harris 1965 Nothofagidites flemingii Potonie 1960 Nothofagidites americanus Zamaloa 1992 Nothofagidites cf. acromegacanthus Menendez and Caccavari 1975 Nothofagidites saraensis Menendez and Caccavari 1975
Canellales -	Pseudowinterapollis couperi Pseudowinterapollis couperi Mildenhall 1979 magnoliids
-	Monosulcites "sp. A" Monosulcites "sp. A" Cookson and Couper 1953
Gunnerales -	Tricolpites reticulatus Tricolpites reticulatus Couper 1953
Proteales - Proteaceae	Proteacidites reticuloscabratus, Proteacidites "sp. A", Proteacidites "sp. B" Proteacidites reticuloscabratus P. (Propylipollis) reticuloscabratus Proteacidites "sp. A" Cookson and Couper 1953 Proteacidites "sp. B" Cookson and Couper 1953
Caryophyllales - Polygonaceae	Polycolporopollenites esobalteus Polycolporopollenites esobalteus Pocknall and Mildenhall 1984 knotweed
Asterales - Asteraceae	Compositoipollenites cf. tarragoenis Compositoipollenites cf. tarragoenis daisy
Santalales - Loranthaceae	Gothanipollis cf. bassensis Gothanipollis cf. bassensis Stover 1973 mistletoe
Poales - Typhaceae	Sparganiaceaepollenites sphericus Sparganiaceaepollenites sphericus
Poales - Poaceae	Graminidites sp. Graminidites sp. Potonie 1960 bamboo
Mesangiosperms - Liliaceae	Liliacidites aff. bainii, Liliacidites cf. lanceolatus Liliacidites aff. bainii Liliacidites cf. lanceolatus Stover 1973
Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae	Luminidites cf. phormoides Luminidites cf. phormoides palm
Magnoliopsida
-	Tricolporites cf. trioblatus, Rhoipites "sp. A" Tricolporites cf. trioblatus Rhoipites "sp. A" Wodehouse 1933

Coniferales - Podocarpaceae	Podosporites microsaccatus, Podocarpidites spp., Podocarpidites cf. rugulosus, Microalatidites palaeogenicus, Phyllocladidites mawsonii, Lygistepollenites florinii Podosporites microsaccatus Dettmann 1963 podocarp Podocarpidites spp. Cookson 1947 podocarp Podocarpidites cf. rugulosus Romero 1977 podocarp Microalatidites palaeogenicus podocarp Phyllocladidites mawsonii Cookson 1947 podocarp Lygistepollenites florinii Stover and Evans 1973 podocarp
Pinopsida
Pinales - Taxodiaceae	Cupressacites indet. Cupressacites indet. Bolkhovitina 1956
Polypodiopsida
- Dicksoniaceae	"Triletes tuberculiformis" = Trilites tuberculiformis "Triletes tuberculiformis" = Trilites tuberculiformis Cookson 1947
- Osmundaceae	Baculatisporites disconformis, Baculatisporites turboensis, Baculatisporites cf. comaumensis Baculatisporites disconformis Baculatisporites turboensis Baculatisporites cf. comaumensis Potonie 1953
- Polypodiaceae	Laevigatosporites ovatus Laevigatosporites ovatus Wilson and Webster 1946
- Blechnaceae	Peromonolites vellosus Peromonolites vellosus Partridge 1973
Polypodiales - Polypodiidae	Polypodiisporites inangahuensis, Polypodiisporites radiatus Polypodiisporites inangahuensis Pocknall and Mildenhall 1984 Polypodiisporites radiatus Pocknall and Mildenhall 1984
Gleicheniales - Polypodiidae	Dictyophyllidites cf. arcuatus Dictyophyllidites cf. arcuatus Pocknall and Mildenhall 1984
Pteridopsida
-	Ischyosporites cf. areapunctatis, Clavatisporites cf. glarius, Matonisporites ornamentalis, Cyathidites australis Ischyosporites cf. areapunctatis Barreda 1997 Clavatisporites cf. glarius Matonisporites ornamentalis Partridge 1973 Cyathidites australis Couper 1953
Lycopsida
-	Foveotriletes palaequetrus Foveotriletes palaequetrus Partridge 1973
Granodiporites
-	Granodiporites diporites Granodiporites diporites
Canthiumidites bellus
-	Canthiumidites cf. bellus Canthiumidites cf. bellus Mildenhall and Pocknall 1989
Quintiniapollis
-	Quintiniapollis sp. Quintiniapollis sp. Mildenhall and Pocknall 1989