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Permian Plant Macrofossils from Fossilryggen, Vestfjella, Dronning

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Permian Plant Macrofossils from Fossilryggen, Vestfjella, Dronning Antarctic Science 17 (1): 73–86 (2005) © Antarctic Science Ltd Printed in the UK DOI: 10.1017/S0954102005002464 Permian plant macrofossils from Fossilryggen, Vestfjella, Dronning Maud Land STEPHEN MCLOUGHLIN1*, KENT LARSSON2 and SOFIE LINDSTRÖM2 1School of Natural Resource Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, PO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia 2GeoBiosphere Science Centre, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden *[email protected] Abstract: A low diversity plant macrofossil assemblage described from the northern section of Fossilryggen, Vestfjella, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, is dominated by matted leaf impressions of Glossopteris sp. cf. G. communis Feistmantel and Glossopteris sp. cf. G. spatulata Pant & Singh, and in situ finely branched Vertebraria indica Royle rootlets. Equisetalean stems, rhizomes and leaf whorls (Phyllotheca australis Brongniart emend. Townrow), isolated seeds, scale-leaves, and fragmentary gymnosperm axes represent minor components of the assemblage. The fossils are preserved in fine-grained, floodbasin sediments and dark palaeosols. Although lacking definitive biostratigraphical indices, the flora is considered to represent a Middle Permian assemblage based principally on lithological and palynological correlation with the southern section at Fossilryggen and broad similarities to mid-Permian plant assemblages elsewhere in Gondwana. Received 2 January 2004, accepted 23 August 2004 Key words: East Antarctica, Glossopteris, Middle Permian, palynostratigraphy, Phyllotheca, Vertebraria Introduction Gondwana. Recent palynological studies have supported an The distribution of fossil Glossopteris leaves on disparate Early Permian age for the Milorgfjella succession (Larsson southern lands represented key evidence in early arguments et al. 1990, Lindström 1995b). Hjelle & Winsnes (1972) to support plate tectonics and the notion of a former first reported the presence of similar fossil plants at supercontinent: Gondwana. The discovery of Glossopteris Fossilryggen in Vestfjella and, based on photographs of the leaves on Mount Buckley at 85°S by Robert Scott's material, Dr E.P. Plumstead suggested that the fossils 1910–13 Antarctic expedition (Seward 1914) confirmed represented an Early Permian assemblage, although that Antarctica hosted this widespread Southern younger than that preserved at Milorgfjella. However, more Hemisphere taxon and that during the Permian, robust recent palynological studies (Lindström 1995a, 1996) have vegetation was able to survive close to the South Pole. Since suggested a Middle Permian age for at least some of the 1912, glossopterids and associated Permian plants have sedimentary rocks at Fossilryggen. The new assemblage been recorded from numerous localities in the from the northern exposures of Fossilryggen represents the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica (Edwards 1928, first Middle Permian macrofossil flora described from Cridland 1963, Rigby & Schopf 1969, Schopf 1970, Dronning Maud Land. Lambrecht et al. 1972, Lacey & Lucas 1981, Taylor et al. 1992, Cúneo et al. 1993), the Ellsworth Mountains (Gee Geological setting 1989, Taylor et al. 1989), and the Prince Charles Mountains (White 1969, Neish et al. 1993, McLoughlin et al. 1997). The scattered ridges and isolated nunataks of the Vestfjella Currently, the only plant macrofossils described and mountain range are situated along the inner part of the ice illustrated from Dronning Maud Land are those collected shelf embracing the western extent of Dronning Maud from three beds exposed in Milorgfjella, the north-eastern Land. Nunataks in this region predominantly expose extension of Heimefrontfjella, by the British Antarctic Jurassic basalts and dolerite intrusions but olivine-gabbro Survey in the late 1960s (Juckes 1972, Plumstead 1975). dominates the southern part of the mountain range. The Milorgfjella assemblages are dominated by Fossilryggen is situated in the north-eastern part of the glossopterids in which the central veins are poorly mountain range and is the only locality where Palaeozoic aggregated (representing the ‘Gangamopteris condition’). sedimentary rocks crop out. The geology of the area has Other Milorgfjella fossils include a conifer twig, been described by Hjelle & Winsnes (1972), Olaussen sphenophyte axes, possible lycophyte axes and fragmentary (1985), Larsson (1990, 1991) and Lindström (1995a, 1996), fern fronds, and various gymnosperm axes including some and it will only be summarized briefly herein. with attached spur shoots (Table I). These assemblages are The approximately 2 km long, low and narrow ridge of typical of low-diversity Early Permian floras from southern Fossilryggen is the main nunatak in the area (Fig. 1). It is 73 74 STEPHEN MCLOUGHLIN et al. Table I. Revised identifications of Lower Permian plant fossils collected by the British Antarctic Survey from Milorgfjella, Dronning Maud Land and originally described by Plumstead (1975). Taxon identified by Plumstead (1975) from Milorgfjella Illustrations of Plumstead (1975) Revised identification Lycopodiopsis pedroanus (Carr.) Edwards pl. Id Possibly a lycophyte or conifer axis Paracalamites sp. cf. Phyllotheca australis Brong. pl. Ia (1), Ib Paracalamites australis Rigby Indeterminate small branched stem pl. Ic Possibly a fern frond fragment Stem with small round scars pl. Ia (2) Unidentifiable axis Hollow mound with grooved spiral markings pl. Ie Unidentifiable axis cf. Cordaitales pl. IIa–c, IIIa, IIId Unidentifiable gymnosperm axes cf. Glossopteridae pl. IIa, IIIb, IIIc, VIIa, VIIIa, Unidentifiable gymnosperm axes cf. Ginkgophyta long and short shoots pl. Vd–g, VIa–d Glossopterid long shoots bearing lateral spur shoots cf. Coniferophyta pl. VIIb, VIIc Unidentifiable gymnosperm axes Wood fragments pl. IVa–g Gymnosperm xylem tracheids with bordered pits Gangamopteris obovata Carr. pl. IXa–d Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. obovata (Carruthers) White Gangamopteris cyclopteroides Feist. pl. Xa–d Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. spatulata McCoy Gangamopteris sp. pl. XIVa (top) Gangamopteris obovata Carr. Walikalia juckesii Plumstead pl. XIa–f Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. spatulata McCoy Euryphyllum antarcticum Plumstead pl. XIIa–d, XIIIa–b Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. angustifolia (McCoy) McCoy Euryphyllum sp. pl. XIVc–d Glossopteris sp. cf. G. douglasii Rigby & Chandra Noeggerathiopsis hislopi (Bunb.) Feist. pl. XIVe Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. obovata (Carruthers) White Noeggerathiopsis spathulata (?) Dana pl. XIVf–g Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. obovata (Carruthers) White cf. Palaeovittaria sp. pl. XIVh Gangamopteris sp. Coniferous twig pl. XIVa–b cf. Walkomiella transvaalensis le Roux Mixed foliage pl. XV Gangamopteris sp. cf. G. obovata (Carruthers) White Fungi pl. IXc Indeterminate imprints and weathering patterns flanked to the west by a smaller nunatak, the NW Nunatak to the area in 1988/89 and 1989/90. Macrofossils are (informal name), and to the north-west by three small preserved as impressions in dark siltstone. Specimens were outliers (Fig. 1). Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks crop out near photographed under strong unilateral light from the upper the southern and northern limits of Fossilryggen, in the left. All illustrated specimens (prefixed LO) are lodged in "NW Nunatak" and in the middle outlier (Fig. 1). The the collections of the Geology Department, GeoBiosphere southern section at Fossilryggen hosts the most complete Science Centre, Lund University. In the systematic sedimentary succession where approximately 60 m of descriptions OD = original designation, M = by monotype, sandstones and shales are exposed. The southern section is SD = subsequent designation. transected by six dolerite dykes and one normal fault, which downfaults the northern portion of the outcrop. The central Palynology and northern parts of Fossilryggen consist mainly of basaltic rocks, although black shales are exposed in Lindström (1994, 1995a, 1996) recognized sixty-six taxa topographical lows. The north-western margin of the ridge including eight algae or acritarch species when analysing consists of a 30 m thick sequence of plant-rich black shales, the palynostratigraphy of the southern sedimentary section minor sandstones and mudstones, here called the ‘northern at Fossilryggen and nearby "NW Nunatak". The section’. assemblages also included thirty-five gymnosperm pollen Due to the intervening basaltic rocks, the relationship taxa, seventeen fern spores, four lycophyte species, and two between the southern and northern sections at Fossilryggen regarded as sphenophytes (Lindström 1996). The is not clear. The northern section is situated topographically assemblages are dominated by bisaccate pollen, including lower than the southern section (Lindström 1995a, text both taeniate forms (viz. Protohaploxypinus amplus, fig. 2), but since the sedimentary strata at Fossilryggen dip P. limpidus, Striatopodocarpidites cancellatus and S. fusus) slightly towards the north-west it is possible that the and non-taeniate species (viz. Scheuringipollenites northern section is somewhat younger than the southern maximus, S. ovatus and Alisporites spp.). Fern spores are one. common, especially Leiotriletes directus, Horriditriletes tereteangulatus, H. filiformis and Osmundacidites wellmanii. Didecitriletes ericianus, D. uncinatus, Material and methods Microbaculispora villosa, Indospora laevigata and The material described herein was collected from the Dictyotriletes labyrinthicus appear in the upper part of the northern section of Fossilryggen and the adjacent
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