ISSN 0031-0301, Paleontological Journal, 2019, Vol. 53, No. 11, pp. 1216–1235. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2019. Middle Jurassic Plant Diversity and Climate in the Ordos Basin, China Yun-Feng Lia, b, *, Hongshan Wangc, David L. Dilchera, b, d, E. Bugdaevae, Xiao Tana, b, d, Tao Lia, b, Yu-Ling Naa, b, and Chun-Lin Suna, b, ** aKey Laboratory for Evolution of Past Life and Environment in Northeast Asia, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130026 China bResearch Center of Palaeontology and Stratigraphy, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130026 China cFlorida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611 USA dDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405 USA eFederal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, 690022 Russia *e-mail:
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[email protected] Received April 3, 2018; revised November 29, 2018; accepted December 28, 2018 Abstract—The Ordos Basin is one of the largest continental sedimentary basins and it represents one major and famous production area of coal, oil and gas resources in China. The Jurassic non-marine deposits are well developed and cropped out in the basin. The Middle Jurassic Yan’an Formation is rich in coal and con- tains diverse plant remains. We recognize 40 species in 25 genera belonging to mosses, horsetails, ferns, cycadophytes, ginkgoaleans, czekanowskialeans and conifers. This flora is attributed to the early Middle Jurassic Epoch, possibly the Aalenian-Bajocian. The climate of the Ordos Basin during the Middle Jurassic was warm and humid with seasonal temperature and precipitation fluctuations.