Pennsylvanian coniferopsid forests in sabkha facies reveal the nature of seasonal tropical biome

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 2011 Pennsylvanian coniferopsid forests in sabkha facies reveal the nature of seasonal tropical biome Howard J. Falcon-Lang; Howard J. Falcon-Lang * 1Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK *E-mail: h.falcon-lang@es.rhul.ac.uk. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nathan A. Jud; Nathan A. Jud 2University of Maryland College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. John Nelson; W. John Nelson 3Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar William A. DiMichele; William A. DiMichele 4Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dan S. Chaney; Dan S. Chaney 4Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Spencer G. Lucas Spencer G. Lucas 5New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road, N.W., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Howard J. Falcon-Lang * 1Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK Nathan A. Jud 2University of Maryland College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA W. John Nelson 3Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA William A. DiMichele 4Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA Dan S. Chaney 4Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, USA Spencer G. Lucas 5New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road, N.W., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104, USA *E-mail: h.falcon-lang@es.rhul.ac.uk. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 17 Sep 2010 Revision Received: 15 Nov 2010 Accepted: 16 Nov 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (4): 371–374. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31764.1 Article history Received: 17 Sep 2010 Revision Received: 15 Nov 2010 Accepted: 16 Nov 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Howard J. Falcon-Lang, Nathan A. Jud, W. John Nelson, William A. DiMichele, Dan S. Chaney, Spencer G. Lucas; Pennsylvanian coniferopsid forests in sabkha facies reveal the nature of seasonal tropical biome. Geology 2011;; 39 (4): 371–374. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31764.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Pennsylvanian fossil forests are known from hundreds of sites across tropical Pangea, but nearly all comprise remains of humid Coal Forests. Here we report a unique occurrence of seasonally dry vegetation, preserved in growth position along >5 km of strike, in the Pennsylvanian (early Kasimovian, Missourian) of New Mexico (United States). Analyses of stump anatomy, diameter, and spatial density, coupled with observations of vascular traces and associated megaflora, show that this was a deciduous, mixed-age, coniferopsid woodland (∼100 trees per hectare) with an open canopy. The coniferopsids colonized coastal sabkha facies and show tree rings, confirming growth under seasonally dry conditions. Such woodlands probably served as the source of coniferopsids that replaced Coal Forests farther east in central Pangea during drier climate phases. Thus, the newly discovered woodland helps unravel biome-scale vegetation dynamics and allows calibration of climate models. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.