Aspects of late quaternary palynology of Eastern Indonesian deep-sea cores

Abstract

Samples from ten eastern Indonesian piston cores have been analysed for palynomorphs. We report on the provisional pollen-diagrams of three cores, one from the Seram Trench (core 56), one from the Weber Deep (core 107) and one from the Timor Trench (core 149). Three distinct periods in the vegetational history of northern Australia and New Guinea, including the emerged parts of the Sahul Shelf, can be recognized. A eucalypt open forest vegetation is replaced by grasslands, indicating low rainfall with strong seasonality. The subsequent drowning of the shelf and the probable establishment of extensive mangrove forests on southern New Guinea and the reduction in grassland area in the region, is closely followed by a possible expansion of the gymnosperm mountain forests. This indicates the completion of the last deglaciation, higheer temperature and increased precipitation.