Palynofloras and their environmental significance of the Early Cretaceous in Wuqia, Xinjiang Autonomous Region
Jiang Dexin Wang Yongdong ei Jiang
1 Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029
2 Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing210008,Jiangsu
3 Norfolk State University, Norfolk VA23504, USA
Based on the investigations of 77 species of fossil spores and pollen belonging to 51 genera found in the Lower Cretaceous Kizilsu Group in the Wuqia region of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, the early and late Early Cretaceous palynofloras in the region have been established. The early Early Cretaceous palynoflora is dominated by gymnospermous Coniferales, including the Cheirolepidiaceae, Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae, Araucariaceae and Taxodiaceae. The late Early Cretaceous palynoflora is basically similar to that of the early Early Cretaceous, but content of Cheirolepidiaceae decreases sharply. According to the characters of the palynofloras, the Early Cretaceous palaeoecologic, palaeoclimatic,sedimentary environment as well as palaeogeographic significance have been discussed. The results indicate that the Early Cretaceous palaeoclimate in the Wuqia region should belong to the arid or semiarid type of subtropic zone, temperatewarm and arid in the early Early Cretaceous and warmhot and semiarid in the late Early Cretaceous. The palynological data show that the Early Cretaceous floras are of various origins, including the Coniferales plants from mountain terrene and the moss plants from marsh wetland. The palaeogeography of the Early Cretaceous is characterized by complex and various outlook and the obvious vertical zoning of the plant geographic distribution.
About author: Jiang Dexin, born in 1933, graduated from the Department of Petroleum Geology, Beijing College of Geology in 1956. Now she is a research professor of Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and is engaged in palynology and petroleum geology.
Cite this article:
. Palynofloras and their environmental significance of the Early Cretaceous in Wuqia, Xinjiang Autonomous Region[J]. JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY, 2007, 9(2): 185-196.
. Palynofloras and their environmental significance of the Early Cretaceous in Wuqia, Xinjiang Autonomous Region[J]. JOPC, 2007, 9(2): 185-196.