Research Article| October 01, 1996 Implications of a Lower Pennsylvanian Ultisol for equatorial Pangean climates and early, oligotrophic, forest ecosystems Susan Gill; Susan Gill 1Geology Department, University of Pennsylvania, 240 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6316 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Keddy Yemane Keddy Yemane 1Geology Department, University of Pennsylvania, 240 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6316 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Susan Gill 1Geology Department, University of Pennsylvania, 240 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6316 Keddy Yemane 1Geology Department, University of Pennsylvania, 240 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6316 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1996) 24 (10): 905–908. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0905:IOALPU>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Susan Gill, Keddy Yemane; Implications of a Lower Pennsylvanian Ultisol for equatorial Pangean climates and early, oligotrophic, forest ecosystems. Geology 1996;; 24 (10): 905–908. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0905:IOALPU>2.3.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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A well-formed, upland soil profile, preserved beneath the Lower Pennsylvanian, Lykens Valley #2 coal in the Southern Anthracite Field of northeastern Pennsylvania, is geologically the oldest example of an Ultisol yet identified. The Lykens Valley paleosol is a complete soil profile that exhibits characteristics consistent with a sustained period of soil formation in a highly oxidizing and leaching upland environment. This paleosol provides evidence that an active and complex forest ecosystem occupied tropical uplands at a time when coal formation dominated the adjacent lowland environments. In addition, it provides insights for understanding the evolution of land plants, the development of oligotrophic, terrestrial ecological interactions, and global carbon cycling. The distribution of kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and aluminum and iron hydroxides within the profile shows that this paleosol formed in a warm, moist, oxidizing environment. Further, on the basis of modern analogs, this profile suggests that a stable substrate may have persisted for as long as a hundred thousand years. The formation of Ultisols during the Lower Pennsylvanian demonstrates that plant communities had complex rooting systems that were capable of collecting nutrients and surviving in a base-poor and well-drained environment at a much earlier time than previous Upper Pennsylvanian estimates. The existence of a viable, upland-forest plant community greatly increases the land area available for terrestrial primary productivity and carbon pumping in equatorial Pangea and should thus have a major impact on global climate during the Lower Pennsylvanian. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.