Early Oligocene Flora of Seifhennersdorf (Saxony)
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SBORNÍK NÁRODNÍHO MUZEA V PRAZE ACTA MUSEI NATIONALIS PRAGAE Řada B – Přírodní vědy • sv. 63 • 2007 • čís. 2–4 • s. 85–174 Series B – Historia Naturalis • vol. 63 • 2007 • no. 2–4 • pp. 85–174 EARLY OLIGOCENE FLORA OF SEIFHENNERSDORF (SAXONY) HARALD WALTHER Staatliche Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Museum für Mineralogie und Geologie, Königsbrücker Landstraße 159, D-01109 Dresden, Germany ZLATKO KVAČEK Charles University, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, CZ – 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Rebublik Walther, H., Kvaček, Z. (2007): Early Oligocene flora of Seifhennersdorf (Saxony). – Acta Mus. Nat. Pragae, Ser. B, Hist. Nat. 63(2–4): 85 – 174, Praha. ISSN 0036-5343. Abstract. A synthetic taxonomical study of the Oligocene macroflora from the diatomite of Seifhennersdorf is presented summarizing and correcting previous accounts on foliage, fruits and seeds. It also includes an evaluation of new extensive macrofossil material gathered since by several collectors, but not yet treated in detail. The flora consists of 94 taxa comprising one charophyte, one bryophyte, three ferns, five conifers and 84 angiosperms. Four new morpho-species have been described: Carpinus roscheri WALTHER et KVAČEK sp. n., Laurophyllum meuselii WALTHER et KVAČEK sp. n., Magnolia seifhennersdorfensis WALTHER et KVAČEK sp. n. and Saportaspermum dieteri KVAČEK et WALTHER sp. n. as well as five new recombinations and emendations proposed for previously described taxa: Betula alboides Engelhardt emend., Carya fragiliformis (STERNBERG) KVAČEK et WALTHER comb. n., Celtis pirskenbergensis (KNOBLOCH) KVAČEK et WALTHER stat. n., Rosa saxonica (ENGELHARDT) WALTHER et KVAČEK comb. n. and Dicotylophyllum ungeri (ENGELHARDT) WALTHER et KVAČEK comb. n. The floras from the same geological complex at Varnsdorf and from the nearby volcanogenic sites at the Hrazený Hill near Knížecí, Lipová near Šluknov, Markvartice, Bechlejovice, Suletice, Berand, Holý Kluk Hill at Proboštov and Kundratice in North Bohemia are also discussed. The age of both diatomite occurrences from Seifhennersdorf and Varnsdorf has been estimated according to the radiometric K-Ar dating as 30.2 to 30.5 Ma. Due to various facies and depositional settings, the fossil vegetation of Seifhennersdorf deviates from roughly contempo- raneous plant assemblages from the České středohoří Mountains and its periphery in North Bohemia in having a more pronounced represen- tation of aquatic and riparian (azonal, i.e. intrazonal) elements. Its zonal part corresponds to the warm-temperate Mixed Mesophytic Forest. According to the Co-existence methodology, the following palaeoclimatic proxy data have been estimated: mean annual temperature 15.6˚ to 15.9˚ C, mean temperature of the coldest month 5.0˚ to 5.2˚ C, mean temperature of the warmest month 25.7˚ to 25.9˚ C, mean annual precipitation 897 to 971 mm, precipitation in the wettest month 117 to 133 mm, precipitation in the driest month 43 to 47 mm, precipitati- on in the warmest month 118 to 131 mm. n Flora and vegetation, Early Oligocene, SE Upper Lusatia, volcanic setting Received June 26, 2007 Issued December 2007 Introduction of fossils became available from three vast dumps situated close to Seihennersdorf. In the 1860s, Geinitz advised Seifhennersdorf, a small town in SE Upper Lusatia Engelhardt, a high school teacher from Dresden, to prepare (“Oberlausitz”) in Saxony, E Germany, which is situated a paper on plant megafossils, mostly leaf impressions and directly on the border with the Czech Republic, belongs to compressions, from various sites in Saxony including one of the classical areas of Tertiary research activities in Seifhennersdorf. Writing a “Flora der Braunkohlen- Saxony since 1870. A small mine for coal and diatomite formation im Königreich Sachsen”, Engelhard then won the started there in 1837. The diatomite and also the coal were price given by the Society of Prince Jablonowski, used for the distillation of oil for lamps in a chemical facto- “Fürstliche Jablonowski´sche Gesellschaft in Leipzig” ry. In 1856 the mine and the factory were closed. (Engelhardt 1870, pp. 9–28). Until 1930, this publication Hallbauer (1838) was the first who published informa- was the most important paper about this fossil plant-bearing tion about the geology of this coal-bearing locality. Later locality. Some information on Seifhennersdorf was pub- Geinitz (1840) and Cotta (1868) reported occurrences of lished by Friedrich (1871) and Schneider (1901) in local fossil fish and frogs there. A description of the correspon- papers. The geological situation with a note on the fossil ding volcanic strata with plant fossils at Varnsdorf was pro- flora can be found in an explanation accompanying the geo- duced by Jokély (1861–1862) in a brief account of the geo- logical map of the Kingdom of Saxony “Section Seif- logical mapping in North Bohemia. The mining of coal hennersdorf – Rumburg Blatt 87” (Hazard 1895, Rheinich started at Varnsdorf 10 years later than at Seifhennersdorf, 1920). These authors took over the palaeontological data in 1847 (Schlegel 1920). Collections of plant fossils were published by Engelhard (1870) without any changes. The found in a dump at Varnsdorf later. Much richer collections first who wanted a new revision of the Seifhennersdorf fos- 85 sil flora using modern research methods (i.e. leaf architec- donations (e.g., coll. Andert, Ebersbach, coll. Mai, Berlin, ture and epidermal structures) was Mädler (1930, 1934). coll. Schmidt, Bautzen, coll. Roscher, Seifhennersdorf, coll. But he never accomplished his plans. Stilbach, Dresden, coll. Walther, Dresden – see also After 1945, a new period of geological research started Walther 1977, 1998). In 1978, a modern exhibition devoted in Central Europe. The aim of these activities in Germany, to the Oligocene locality of Seifhennersdorf was opened in like elsewhere, was to find resources for industrial purpos- a new building called the Karasek Museum (KMS) in es. In the case of the Seifhennersdorf locality it was the Seifhennersdorf, in which the geology with profiles and investigation of coal and diatomite resources that was car- reconstruction of vegetation, animal fossils and the history ried out by the former State Geological Survey of Saxony of the mine were presented (Walther 1988). (“Staatliche Geologische Kommission”), Freiberg. For this The present paper is focused on a review of the plant project an underground mine (a 60 m deep shaft with vari- megafossils of Seifhennersdorf considering new advances ous tunnels ) started in 1951. The prospecting shaft pene- in the systematics of Tertiary plants and floras. An effort trated through the basaltoid body to the diatomite seams and has been made to study both earlier published material and pyroclastic rocks and reached granite in the basement. new collections mentioned above. Some parts previously These attempts at prospecting finished in 1957. Results of published in German language have been translated without the geological investigation at Seifhennersdorf were top any profound changes and references made to the original secret, as was usual at that time for any geological prospect- German text. The geographical and geological terms in ing in the former DDR (Herre 1954). German are given in inverted commas. Particular emphasis During the 1950s, several university diploma theses has been given to proper documentation of the taxa even were produced from the Mining University, Freiberg when a definite solution for the taxonomy has still failed. focused on diatoms (Sallum 1956), coal seam diagenesis (Wahlich 1956), and from the Humboldt University, Berlin Geological setting, age and environment on stratigraphy and tectonics (Ahrens 1957, 1959). Additio- nal results (Freytag and Rucktäschel 1955) were aimed at The diatomite of Seifhennersdorf, a classical site of using the diatomite (“Polierschiefer”) for the production of Tertiary palaeobotany in Saxony (Engelhardt 1870), is situ- ceramic ware and insulation material. Walther (1957) first ated in the southeast periphery of the town, about 15 km published palaentological discoveries of fossil frogs from west of Zittau in southern Upper Lusatia (“Oberlausitz”, Seifhennersdorf. Hein and Schwab (1958) demonstrated Saxony, Germany) close to the state boundary with the symptoms of silification in the brown coal. The modern Czech Republic (Text-fig. 1). The deposit reaches into palaeobotanical research of the locality started with the Bohemia as a small remnant near the Czech town of studies carried out by Mai (1963) and Walther (1964). Varnsdorf (“Warnsdorf”) from where plant fossils are also Besides revision of the original material of Engelhardt known (Jokély 1861–1862, this paper). In 1837, a small (1870), many new species based on leaves, fruits and seeds 80m deep underground coal mine “Reichensegengotte- were established on gross morphology and epidermal anato- szeche” was opened for about thirty years. In 1920, one my (i.e. cuticular analysis). Supplements to the Seif- gallery was used for the water supply of the town (Schlegel hennersdorf flora were included in a series of papers pub- 1920). The geological data given below were derived main- lished later by Walther (1965, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1977, ly from the prospecting shaft sunk in 1951. 1996 and 2004) and Mai (1988). New results from research The sedimentary complex at Seifhennersdorf, which on fossil animals were published on fish fauna (Teleostei, contains diatomite and coal seams, is developed to a maxi- Cyprinidae) by Obrhelová (1970), Obrhelová and