Terrestrial Climate Evolution in Northwest Germany Over the Last 25 Million Years

Abstract

Other| October 01, 2000 Terrestrial Climate Evolution in Northwest Germany Over the Last 25 Million Years TORSTEN UTESCHER; TORSTEN UTESCHER 1Institut für Geologie, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar VOLKER MOSBRUGGER; VOLKER MOSBRUGGER 2Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie der Universität Tübingen, 72119 Tübingen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ABDUL R. ASHRAF ABDUL R. ASHRAF 2Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie der Universität Tübingen, 72119 Tübingen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PALAIOS (2000) 15 (5): 430–449. https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2000)015<0430:TCEING>2.0.CO;2 Article history accepted: 26 Jun 2000 first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation TORSTEN UTESCHER, VOLKER MOSBRUGGER, ABDUL R. ASHRAF; Terrestrial Climate Evolution in Northwest Germany Over the Last 25 Million Years. PALAIOS 2000;; 15 (5): 430–449. doi: https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2000)015<0430:TCEING>2.0.CO;2 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 SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Abstract The first detailed reconstruction of the continental paleoclimate evolution of the Northwest German Tertiary (Late Oligocene to Pliocene) is presented. The paleoclimate data are derived from the paleobotanical record using the coexistence approach, a method recently introduced that employs climatic requirements of the Nearest Living Relatives of a fossil flora. Twenty six megafloras (fruits and seeds, leaves, woods) from the Tertiary succession of the Lower Rhine Basin and neighboring areas are analyzed with respect to ten meteorological parameters. Additionally, two sample sets from Late Miocene to Early Pliocene sediments comprising 396 palynofloras are analyzed by the same method providing a higher temporal resolution. The temperature curves show a comparatively cooler phase in the Late Oligocene, a warm interval the Middle Miocene, and a cooling starting at 14 Ma. The cooling trend persisted until Late Pliocene with a few higher frequency temperature variations observed. From the beginning of Late Miocene to the present, the seasonality increases and climate appears to have been less stable. As indicated by the precipitation data, a Cfa climate with wet summers persisted in NW Germany from Late Oligocene to Late Pliocene.The results obtained are well in accordance with regional and global isotope curves derived from the marine record, and allow for a refined correlation of the Tertiary succession in the Lower Rhine Basin with the international standard. It is shown that the reconstructed data are largely consistent with the continental climate record for the Northern Hemisphere, as reported by various authors. Discrepancies with previous reconstructions are discussed in detail. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.