Macrofossils from a Mesozoic fossil flora from Ellesmere Island, North West Territories are described and their affinities discussed, Several rarely occurring genera and species ore discussed in detail. The deposit in which they occur is dated using the known ranges of identified macro fossils and miospores, rand the results compared with those of other workers. The described flora is compared with floras of similar age in other parts of the world. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

O afloramento Paleolago Cemitério, localizado na mina de fosfato a céu aberto da “Ultrafértil”, município de Catalão, Estado de Goiás, possui depósitos originados pelo preenchimento de uma depressão na parte central do Complexo Carbonatítico de Catalão I, onde sedimentos lacustres compostos por diatomitos, argilitos e esponjilitos, assentam-se discordantemente sobre um domo de rochas magmáticas carbonatíticas do Cretáceo Superior. O acúmulo de frústulas de diatomáceas e espículas de esponjas formou diatomitos espessos, nos quais abundam restos fósseis, os quais caracterizam uma paleoflora local, existente durante o Pleistoceno, em uma região hoje ocupada pelo Cerrado, no Centro-oeste do Brasil. O conteúdo micropaleontológico revelou a presença de esponjas e diatomáceas dulciaquícolas, indicando ambientes lênticos. Restos de vegetais como folhas, frutos e sementes, preservados na forma de impressões, compressões e adpressões indicam associações fossilíferas compostas por dicotiledôneas, fungos, algas e pteridófitas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo a análise da paleoflora do Paleolago Cemitério, visando a reconstrução das paleocomunidades, a determinação das condições paleoambientais e paleoclimáticas vigentes na região durante o Pleistoceno e o entendimento da origem e/ou evolução do Bioma Cerrado. As análises do material ocorreram através de microscopia de fluorescência, polínica e geoquímica, identificação taxonômica e uso da metodologia de Análise de Margem Foliar (LMA) e do Método de Coexistência (CA), os quais auxiliaram na caracterização do paleoclima sob o qual a flora fóssil teria vivido. Os resultados indicaram a existência de fogo pretérito pela presença de fusenita impregnada ao material orgânico das amostras, a presença de mata de galeria no em torno do paleolago, bem como demonstraram que as temperaturas eram diferentes das que ocorrem hoje para a região. Essa flora fóssil representa uma composição vegetacional única, uma vez que não há, atualmente, total congruência na distribuição dos táxons analisados para a região, como acontecia no passado. Por fim, o fogo parece ter tido um papel importante nos ecossistemas pretéritos da região como ainda o tem hoje no “Bioma Cerrado”. / The outcrop Cemetery Paleolake is situated at the phosphate mina of Ultrafértil Mining Company, in the Catalão city, Goiás State, in the Central region of the Brazil. The deposit was arisen from a filled depression in central part of the Carbonatitic Complex of Catalão I, where lacustrine sediments are settled on carbonatitic magmatics rocks of the Late Cretaceous age. The accumulation of freshwater diatom frustules and sponges spicules generated thick diatomite, in which are founded fossil plant remains, composed of leaves mainly. This lacustrine deposit has been considered as begin during the Late Pleistocene interval in which the fossil vegetal remains caracterize a local paleoflora in a region today ocupied by Cerrado. The micropaleontological contends in the spongilit brought freswater spongs and diatomace, showed lentic enviromental. Plants remains as leaves, fruits and seeds were preserveds as impressions, compressions and adpressions in fossiliferous assemblages compunds by dicotiledoneous, fungis, algae and pteridophytes. The goal of this approach is the analyses of the Cemetery Paleolake paleoflora looking for the paleocomunities reconstruction, the paleoenviromental and the determination of paleoclimatics conditions in the Central part of Brazil, during Pleistocene, and know of the origin /evolution of the Cerrado Biome. Material analyses were made throught fluorescence microscopy, pollinic and geochmistry, taxomomic identification, Leaf Margen Analysis (LMA) and Coexistence Approach (CA), which helped to characterize the paleoclima to that time. Results indicated the existence of preterite fire, throught fusenite impregnance on the organical material in the samples, the existence of a galery forest around the paleolake, as well showed that temperatures were diferent from nowadays. This fossil flora represent an only vegetacional composition, once today is not possible found the same plants distribution in that region like use to be happen in the past. Finaly, the fire seems like had been an important factor in the preterite ecossistems on the region, as yet happen today in the Cerrado Biome.

O afloramento Paleolago Cemitério, localizado na mina de fosfato a céu aberto da “Ultrafértil”, município de Catalão, Estado de Goiás, possui depósitos originados pelo preenchimento de uma depressão na parte central do Complexo Carbonatítico de Catalão I, onde sedimentos lacustres compostos por diatomitos, argilitos e esponjilitos, assentam-se discordantemente sobre um domo de rochas magmáticas carbonatíticas do Cretáceo Superior. O acúmulo de frústulas de diatomáceas e espículas de esponjas formou diatomitos espessos, nos quais abundam restos fósseis, os quais caracterizam uma paleoflora local, existente durante o Pleistoceno, em uma região hoje ocupada pelo Cerrado, no Centro-oeste do Brasil. O conteúdo micropaleontológico revelou a presença de esponjas e diatomáceas dulciaquícolas, indicando ambientes lênticos. Restos de vegetais como folhas, frutos e sementes, preservados na forma de impressões, compressões e adpressões indicam associações fossilíferas compostas por dicotiledôneas, fungos, algas e pteridófitas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo a análise da paleoflora do Paleolago Cemitério, visando a reconstrução das paleocomunidades, a determinação das condições paleoambientais e paleoclimáticas vigentes na região durante o Pleistoceno e o entendimento da origem e/ou evolução do Bioma Cerrado. As análises do material ocorreram através de microscopia de fluorescência, polínica e geoquímica, identificação taxonômica e uso da metodologia de Análise de Margem Foliar (LMA) e do Método de Coexistência (CA), os quais auxiliaram na caracterização do paleoclima sob o qual a flora fóssil teria vivido. Os resultados indicaram a existência de fogo pretérito pela presença de fusenita impregnada ao material orgânico das amostras, a presença de mata de galeria no em torno do paleolago, bem como demonstraram que as temperaturas eram diferentes das que ocorrem hoje para a região. Essa flora fóssil representa uma composição vegetacional única, uma vez que não há, atualmente, total congruência na distribuição dos táxons analisados para a região, como acontecia no passado. Por fim, o fogo parece ter tido um papel importante nos ecossistemas pretéritos da região como ainda o tem hoje no “Bioma Cerrado”. / The outcrop Cemetery Paleolake is situated at the phosphate mina of Ultrafértil Mining Company, in the Catalão city, Goiás State, in the Central region of the Brazil. The deposit was arisen from a filled depression in central part of the Carbonatitic Complex of Catalão I, where lacustrine sediments are settled on carbonatitic magmatics rocks of the Late Cretaceous age. The accumulation of freshwater diatom frustules and sponges spicules generated thick diatomite, in which are founded fossil plant remains, composed of leaves mainly. This lacustrine deposit has been considered as begin during the Late Pleistocene interval in which the fossil vegetal remains caracterize a local paleoflora in a region today ocupied by Cerrado. The micropaleontological contends in the spongilit brought freswater spongs and diatomace, showed lentic enviromental. Plants remains as leaves, fruits and seeds were preserveds as impressions, compressions and adpressions in fossiliferous assemblages compunds by dicotiledoneous, fungis, algae and pteridophytes. The goal of this approach is the analyses of the Cemetery Paleolake paleoflora looking for the paleocomunities reconstruction, the paleoenviromental and the determination of paleoclimatics conditions in the Central part of Brazil, during Pleistocene, and know of the origin /evolution of the Cerrado Biome. Material analyses were made throught fluorescence microscopy, pollinic and geochmistry, taxomomic identification, Leaf Margen Analysis (LMA) and Coexistence Approach (CA), which helped to characterize the paleoclima to that time. Results indicated the existence of preterite fire, throught fusenite impregnance on the organical material in the samples, the existence of a galery forest around the paleolake, as well showed that temperatures were diferent from nowadays. This fossil flora represent an only vegetacional composition, once today is not possible found the same plants distribution in that region like use to be happen in the past. Finaly, the fire seems like had been an important factor in the preterite ecossistems on the region, as yet happen today in the Cerrado Biome.

O afloramento Paleolago Cemitério, localizado na mina de fosfato a céu aberto da “Ultrafértil”, município de Catalão, Estado de Goiás, possui depósitos originados pelo preenchimento de uma depressão na parte central do Complexo Carbonatítico de Catalão I, onde sedimentos lacustres compostos por diatomitos, argilitos e esponjilitos, assentam-se discordantemente sobre um domo de rochas magmáticas carbonatíticas do Cretáceo Superior. O acúmulo de frústulas de diatomáceas e espículas de esponjas formou diatomitos espessos, nos quais abundam restos fósseis, os quais caracterizam uma paleoflora local, existente durante o Pleistoceno, em uma região hoje ocupada pelo Cerrado, no Centro-oeste do Brasil. O conteúdo micropaleontológico revelou a presença de esponjas e diatomáceas dulciaquícolas, indicando ambientes lênticos. Restos de vegetais como folhas, frutos e sementes, preservados na forma de impressões, compressões e adpressões indicam associações fossilíferas compostas por dicotiledôneas, fungos, algas e pteridófitas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo a análise da paleoflora do Paleolago Cemitério, visando a reconstrução das paleocomunidades, a determinação das condições paleoambientais e paleoclimáticas vigentes na região durante o Pleistoceno e o entendimento da origem e/ou evolução do Bioma Cerrado. As análises do material ocorreram através de microscopia de fluorescência, polínica e geoquímica, identificação taxonômica e uso da metodologia de Análise de Margem Foliar (LMA) e do Método de Coexistência (CA), os quais auxiliaram na caracterização do paleoclima sob o qual a flora fóssil teria vivido. Os resultados indicaram a existência de fogo pretérito pela presença de fusenita impregnada ao material orgânico das amostras, a presença de mata de galeria no em torno do paleolago, bem como demonstraram que as temperaturas eram diferentes das que ocorrem hoje para a região. Essa flora fóssil representa uma composição vegetacional única, uma vez que não há, atualmente, total congruência na distribuição dos táxons analisados para a região, como acontecia no passado. Por fim, o fogo parece ter tido um papel importante nos ecossistemas pretéritos da região como ainda o tem hoje no “Bioma Cerrado”. / The outcrop Cemetery Paleolake is situated at the phosphate mina of Ultrafértil Mining Company, in the Catalão city, Goiás State, in the Central region of the Brazil. The deposit was arisen from a filled depression in central part of the Carbonatitic Complex of Catalão I, where lacustrine sediments are settled on carbonatitic magmatics rocks of the Late Cretaceous age. The accumulation of freshwater diatom frustules and sponges spicules generated thick diatomite, in which are founded fossil plant remains, composed of leaves mainly. This lacustrine deposit has been considered as begin during the Late Pleistocene interval in which the fossil vegetal remains caracterize a local paleoflora in a region today ocupied by Cerrado. The micropaleontological contends in the spongilit brought freswater spongs and diatomace, showed lentic enviromental. Plants remains as leaves, fruits and seeds were preserveds as impressions, compressions and adpressions in fossiliferous assemblages compunds by dicotiledoneous, fungis, algae and pteridophytes. The goal of this approach is the analyses of the Cemetery Paleolake paleoflora looking for the paleocomunities reconstruction, the paleoenviromental and the determination of paleoclimatics conditions in the Central part of Brazil, during Pleistocene, and know of the origin /evolution of the Cerrado Biome. Material analyses were made throught fluorescence microscopy, pollinic and geochmistry, taxomomic identification, Leaf Margen Analysis (LMA) and Coexistence Approach (CA), which helped to characterize the paleoclima to that time. Results indicated the existence of preterite fire, throught fusenite impregnance on the organical material in the samples, the existence of a galery forest around the paleolake, as well showed that temperatures were diferent from nowadays. This fossil flora represent an only vegetacional composition, once today is not possible found the same plants distribution in that region like use to be happen in the past. Finaly, the fire seems like had been an important factor in the preterite ecossistems on the region, as yet happen today in the Cerrado Biome.

This study focuses on the morphometric and systematic studies of fossil vitaceous seeds recently recovered from the Gray Fossil Site (7-4.5 Ma, latest Miocene-earliest Pliocene) northeastern Tennessee. Morphologically, all fossil seeds correspond to the extant subgenus Vitis (genus Vitis) of the Vitaceae based on the smooth dorsal surface with a centrally positioned chalaza connected with a conspicuous chalaza-apex groove and short linear ventral infolds that are slightly diverged apically. A multivariate analysis based on 11 measured characters from 76 complete seeds identified three types of seeds, each representing a distinct morphotaxon. Based on comparison with modern and fossil vitaceous specimens, three new species were recognized: Vitis grayana sp. nov., Vitis lanatoides sp. nov., and Vitis latisulcata sp.nov. The close resemblance between the first two fossil grapes (Vitis grayana and Vitis lanatoides) with extant eastern Asian Vitis provides further evidence that the eastern Asian floristic elements existing in the southeastern North American flora continued to as late as late Neogene.

xvii, 106 p. : ill., maps. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation establishes the age, depositional environment, composition, and climatic conditions for the Cape Blanco flora. The paleotemperature estimated by the Cape Blanco flora, the Temblor flora of California, and the Seldovia flora of Alaska are then compared with sea surface temperatures estimated from oxygen isotope analysis of benthic foraminifera. The unconformity-bound shallow marine sandstone of Floras Lake includes a redeposited tuff bed which contains fossil leaves at Cape Blanco. An 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age of 18.26 ± 0.86 Ma is presented for the tuff as well as a paleomagnetic stratigraphy of the sandstone. Sedimentary structures of the tuff bed are evidence that the tuff was deposited at or just above the strand line. The depth of tuff deposition was shallower than the adjacent marine sands, and this short-lived shoaling may have been a result of increased sediment supply. The fossil flora was an oak forest with numerous species of Fagaceae. Additional components include lanceolate Salicaceae leaves, entire margined Lauraceae, fragmentary Betulaceae, and lobed Platanaceae. Coniferous debris, charcoal, Equisetales, and Typhaceae forms are also figured. Ten leaf forms could not be confidently assigned to established names but are described, figured, and called angiosperm forms 1-10. In total 44 unique forms are identified. The size and margin type of the dicot specimens are quantified, and by comparison with known modern floras, a former mean annual precipitation of 201 (+86, -61) cm and a former mean annual temperature of 18.26 ± 2.6°C are estimated. The paleotemperature of the ∼17.5 Ma Seldovia Flora and the ∼17.5 Ma Temblor Flora are estimated using the same method, establishing a ∼0.7°C per degree of latitude temperature gradient for the northern hemisphere temperate zone. The leaf based gradient is steeper than the sea surface temperature gradient, of ∼0.26°C per degree of latitude as estimated from oxygen isotopic composition of foraminifera collected from ocean sediment cores. Both fossil leaf and isotope methods suggest that the early Miocene was ∼5°C warmer than today. This thesis includes unpublished co-authored material. / Committee in charge: Gregory Retallack, Chairperson, Geological Sciences; Rebecca Dorsey, Member, Geological Sciences; Joshua Roering, Member, Geological Sciences; Barbara Roy, Outside Member, Biology