Pleistocene Plant Fossils of Gojoyama, Western Part of the Nara Basin, Central Japan1)
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第 四 紀 研 究 (The Quaternary Research) 20(1)p. 21-29 April 1981 Pleistocene Plant Fossils of Gojoyama, Western Part of the Nara Basin, Central Japan1) Mutsuhiko MINAKI2), Kazumi MATSUOKA3) and Shohei KOKAWA2) At Site A, the beds from II to VIII and at Site I. Introduction C, from III to VII are exposed. The middle Macro-plant remains and pollen grains part of the deposits, III to V beds, are de- from the Pleistocene deposits of the Gojoyama posited under the marine environment. Area in the western part of the Nara Basin The laminated silty sand bed (V) shows are composed of both cool-temperate and different features at each locality. At Site warm-temperate to subtropical taxa. They A, macro-remains are very rare and are accu- are not growing together now. In the pres- mulated in a single lamina in the lower part ent paper, these curious plant fossil assem- of this bed. Macro-remains from this lamina blages are described, and in this connection are usually less than 1cm in diameter, com- the origin of the assemblages is discussed. posed of fragmental leaves, seeds, fruits and other unknown parts of the plant. Some II. Geological Setting and fragmental ill-preserved leaf impressions whose the Occurrence of the Plant Remains Around the Gojoyama Area, marine de- posits which bear many macro-plant remains and pollen grains are distributed. NAKA- GAWA(1967) called the deposits the Second Marine Clay Bed of the Saidaiji Formation, and correlated them with Ma2 of the lower part of the Osaka Group, Early Pleistocene deposits. On the other hand, SANG (1980, M.S.) considered that the deposits belong to the Seika Formation, which is assigned to the uppermost part of the Osaka Group, Middle Pleistocene deposits. Plant remains were collected at three lo- calities shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows columnar sections of each site. The three sites show almost the same lithofacies. The deposits are divided into seven beds, typically shown in Site B, namely, yellow gray coarse sand (I), blue gray silt (II), yellow gray medium sand (III), blue gray clay (IV), well laminated dark brown silty sand containing plant remains (V), red brown sand (VI), and sand with Fig. 1 Sampling locality map of Gojoyama, pebbles of chert (VII) in ascending order. western part of the Nara Basin. 1) Accepted June 16, 1980. The oral report at 43rd annual meeting of the Botanical Society of Japan in September, 1978 was retouched. 2) Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Osaka City University 大 阪 市 立 大 学 理 学 部 生 物 学 教 室. 3) Department of Geology, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Nagasaki University 長 口奇大 学 教 養 部 地 学 教 室. 22 The Quaternary Research Vol. 20 No. 1 April 1981 eration technique of SHIMAKURA(1971). IV. Result 1. Macro-plant remains Table 1 shows all identified macro-plant remains, which are classified into following three groups based on the present habitat of the species or their allied ones: i) Taxa growing in cool-temperate re- gion such as Chamaecyparis pisifera, Fagus aff. hayatae, etc. ii) Taxa growing in warm-temperate to subtropical region such as Stephania japonica, Paliurus sp., etc. iii) widely distributed taxa from cool- temperate to subtropical region such □ pebble as Pinus sp., Styrax cf, japonica, etc. □ sand Plant remains from Site A are very rare. □ silt The fossil assemblage is composed of cool- □ clay temperate taxa such as Chamaecyparis pisifera □ limonite plant and widely distributed taxa such as Pinus ■ bearing layer sp. and Styrax cf, japonica. sample for ▲ macro remains △ sample for Site B yields abundant and various plant pollen grains remains. The fossil assemblage of B-1 is Fig. 2 Columnar sections showing seven beds of composed of abundant cool-temperate taxa three localities at Gojoyama, western part and widely distributed taxa. That of B-2 of the Nara Basin, III to V beds are de- is much the same as B-1, but warm-tem- posited under marine environment. perate taxa, Stephaniajaponica, Melia sp., and Osmanthus sp. are mixed. That of B-3 is specific names are unknown are found from much the same as B-1 and B-2, with only the upper part of this bed. At Site B, this one endocarp of Melia sp., warm-temperate bed yields many plant remains which are species. quite similar to those at Site A. They are Plant remains of Site C are very rare. closely accumulated at least in eight laminae The fossil assemblage of C-1 is composed with small amount of sand or silt. At Site of cool-temperate and widely distributed taxa. C, this bed yields rare plant remains borne That of C-2 is composed of only two cool- at least in five laminae. Size and composi- temperate species, Chamaecyparis pisifera and tion of the fossils are quite the same as those Hemiptelea davidiana. That of C-3 is com- at Sites A and B. posed of abundant cool-temperate and widely distributed taxa with a few warm-temperate III. Materials and taxa, Sapium sebiferumvar. and Osmanthussp. Preparation Method Existence of brackish species, Ruppia rostellata Fossil bearing sediments were loosened in is noticeable. water, and then riddled in 0.5mm meshes In conclusion, fossil assemblages are closely sieve. The macro-remains were picked up similar to each other, though an amount from the riddlings and identified under the of the remains is different. In the fossil binocular microscope. They are deposited assemblages, cool-temperate and widely dis- in 70% alcohol. tributed taxa are predominant, and warm- Pollen grains were extracted by the mac- temperate taxa are few or sometimes absent 昭 和56年4月 第 四 紀 研 究 第20巻 第1号 23 Table 1 Macro-plant remains of Gojoyama, western part of the Nara Basin. All fossils are classified into three groups based on the present habitat of the species or their allied modern ones. * B; Bud scale C; Cone Cs; Cone scale Cu; Cupule E; Endocarp F; Fruit L; Leaf N; Nut S; Seed Sh; Shoot ** Strict horizon unknown when the fossils are rare. (1961) proposed the Paliurus flora mainly The coexistence of Paliurus, Sapium and composed of above mentioned taxa. Macro- Fagus was often reported from Early to Middle fossil assemblages obtained from the Gojoyama Pleistocene deposits. MIKI (1948) called these Area somewhat resemble those of the deposits the Paliurus bed, and then KOKAWA Paliurus flora. 24 The Quaternary Research Vol. 20 No. 1 April 1981 Some characteristic species in the plant warm-temperate species. But, in the pres- fossil assemblages are described below. ent case, it is not necessary to regard Fagus Fagus aff. hayatae PALIBIN (Plate I; 6, 7). aff, hayatae as warm-temperate species, be- Abundant cupules and nuts were collected cause it yielded together with a lot of cool- at every locality. This species is different temperate species such as Chamaecyparis pisifera, from modern F. crenata in its small cupules, Hemiptelea davidiana, Acer mono, and so on. and from F, japonica in its short peduncles. Hemipteleadavidiana PLANCHON(Plate I; 2, Among the ten modern species of Fagus, pres- 3). This species is now growing in the cool- ent specimens are most allied to F, hayatae temperate regions in Middle and North China because of the small cupules, small winged and Korea. Fossils of this species were re- nuts and short peduncles. Among the fossil ported from Pleistocene deposits at Iwami- Pleistocene Fagus, present specimens are close- Kamisato in Kyoto Prefecture, and Komo- ly similar to F. hayatae in MIKI (1938), riueno in Isshi District, Mie Prefecture by F. microcarpa MIKI in MIKI (1933, 1937), F. MIKI (1948). sp. in KOKAWA(1964) and so on. Diagnostic Stephania japonica MIERS (Plate I; 8, 9). characters of modern and fossil Fagus are Three seeds were collected at Site B. The shown in Table 2. The detailed taxonomic remains were identified to the genus Stephania description of the Pleistocene Fagus will be by the central pore and horseshoe-shaped thick discussed in the future. margin. Fossils of S. japonica were reported KOKAWA(1964), TAI (1969) and MATSUO- by MIKI (1948) from three localities; Pleisto- KA (1976) once considered that the Pleisto- cene deposits at Tonda in Mishima District, cene Fagus had warmer habitat than the Osaka Prefecture, Komoriueno in Isshi Dis- modern one because it often yielded with trict, Mie Prefecture, and Pliocene deposits Table 2 Diagnostic characters of modern and fossil Fagus ++ well developed * Miki(1938) + developed ** Miki(1933,1937) only at the tip *** Present paper - no wings 昭 和56年4月 第 四紀 研 究 第20巻 第1号 25 *grains with distinct morphological □ Pollen ● less than 1% characters, verrucate distal face □ unidentified pollen ■ Fern spore Fig. 3 Pollen assemblages of Gojoyama, western part of the Nara Basin. Pious, Fagus, Quercus, and Ulmus-Zellcova are dominant. Table 3 Percentages of rare pollen grains which are excluded from the pollen diagram. at Shimagahara in Mie Prefecture. This from the muddy samples. Relative frequency species is distributed in the open site or along of these pollen is shown in. Fig. 3 and Table roads near seas in southwestern Honshu, Shi- 3. Alike the macro-remains, fossil pollen koku, Kyushu, and the Ryukyus, namely in assemblages of the laminae at Sites B and warm-temperate and subtropical regions. C show scarcely any different composition. 2. Pollen grains They are characterized by a dominance of Abundant pollen grains could be extracted Pinus, Fagus, Quercus and Ulmus-Zelkova. 26 The Quaternary Research Vol. 20 No. 1 April 1981 Fagus, cool-temperate genus, coexists with Osaka Group. warm-temperate to subtropical genera such 2.