Plant megafossils from the Neogene deposits of Stawek-1A (Bełchatów, Middle Poland)

Abstract

The megafossils from the fluvial sediments overlying the Tertiary lignites in the Bełchatów opencast mine (Middle Poland) are investigated. The good preservation allowed the cellular detail of the leaves and fruit- and seed coats to be studied. This enabled accurate identifications to be made. Some of the genera ( Cleome, Ternstroemites and Zingiberoideophyllum) are new for the Tertiary of Poland. Most of the taxa are encountered in Upper Miocene to Pliocene sediments. A comparison of the growth forms and the proportion of arctotertiary and palaeotropical components present in Stawek-1A with those of the plant assemblages from the Neogene of the lower Rhenish Basin points to a Late Miocene or Early Pliocene age. The plant communities from which the fossils were derived and the climatic conditions under which these were growing are discussed.