Cook Inlet Region, Alaska
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Tertiarv Plants from the Cook Inlet Region, Alaska By JACK A. WOLFE 'TERTIARY BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE COOK INLET REGION, ALASKA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 398-B Discussion floristic signzjcance and systematics of some fossil plants from the Chickaloon, Kenai, and Tsadaka Formations UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1966 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 55 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Abstract -__._--_.___-.-..--------..--.....-.-------Systematics__.___----.--------------------------.- _.- - -- - - -- -- - -- Introduction _ _ . .- . - -.-. -. - - - -.- -. - - - - - Chickaloon flora. _ ___ _ __ __ - _- -- -- Floristic and ecologic interpretation- _ - _ _ - - -.- -.- - - - - - - Kenaiflora_--______.___-_---------------------- Chickaloon flora__^^______--__--------. Salicaceae---______------------------------- Partial list of flora of the Chickaloon Formation- Juglandaceae_______------------------------ Kenaiflora__--___--.---------------.----------- Betulaceae_._._._-_.----------------------- Lower Kenai (Seldovian) flora-_--. - - --- - -- - - Menispermaceae_.-_.--__.-__-____--------- Systematic list of the Seldovia Point flora__ Rosaceae.___._.___--------.--------------- Middle Kenai (Homerian) flora _-_---- -- - -__- - Leguminosae_____.__._____-_--_--------- Systematic list of the Homerian flora from Aceraceae-_-______.--.-..------------------ the Chuitna River ________---____---- Cornaceae_._._..__.-..-------------------- Systematic list of floraof the type Homerian- Ericaceae.-__---.__.__.--------.----------- Upper Kenai (Clamgulchian) flora- _ _ ____ __ __ _ Fossil-plant localities--. -.-. - --..-. - - ---- - -------- Systematic list of the type Clamgulchian References cited _.--._-_-___._-_----.__--------.---- flora.-.------------------.---------- Index___-_-__.._.____------------.-.-------------- ILLUSYCRATIONS [Plates follow index] PLATES1, 2. Flora of the Chickaloon Formation. 3-8. Flora of the Kenai Formation. Page FIGURE 1. Drawing showing ultimate venatiol~of leaves of the "Cercidiphyllum arcticum" type---.---.-.-- ------------ B10 2-12. Venation of - 2. Alnus largei_--____-..____._------------.-.--..-.-----.--------------.-----.--------------- . 3 Ana ................................................................ 4. Alnus healyensis_____.-.~__-..~~~~~~~~~~.----.--~-~------------.-----~-~--~~~--------------- 5. Alnus evidens .............................................................................. 6. Alnus cappsi ____.-----___.._.......--------------.--...-.-.---.-----.--.------------------- 7. Alnus corylinaand A. incana .......--.----__-----_____-__------- 8. Alnus barnesi .............................................................................. 9. Alnus adumbrata ........................................................................... 10. Alnus schmidtae and A. crispa _._----_..___..._-----------------.-------.--------.--.----.--- 11. Carpinus.................................................................................. 12. Corylus ~~~~~---------~-.....-...-----------------------------.-~~---~.-.-~.~~~~..~~~------ TERTIARY BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE COOK INLET REGION, ALASKA TERTIARY PLANTS FROM THE COOK INLET REGION, ALASKA ABSTRACT land and upper Matanuska Valley allow skatements on Taxonomic relations of some plants from the Paleocene Chick- the floristic relationships and succession. aloon Formation and the Neogene Tsadaka and Kenai Forma- As yet, the Paleocene flora of the Chickaloon Forma- tions are considered. Sixteen new species from the Kenai tion has not been thoroughly studied, and only a com- Formation are described, and the greatest emphasis is on paratively few forms have been determined. Many of members of Salicaceae and Retulaceae. The flora of the Kenai Formation may be divided into three the Chickaloon localities have produced a well- large stratigraphic floral types. The oldest, the Seldovian flora preserved and diverse flora. The difficulties inherent of probable early and middle Miocene age, is an assemblage in working with Paleocene floras, however, and the time dominated by deciduous wwdy dicotyledons that are members available for study make any detailed stakemants on the of genera now characteristic of warm-temperate eastern Asia stratigraphic succession and floristic relationships of and eastern North America. Characteristic Seldovian families the Chickdoon flora largely speculative. Hence, only a are Salicaceae, Juglandaceae, Betulaceae, Pagaceae, Ulmaceae, and Aceraceae. The middle flora, the Homerian of probable late few Chickaloon species are discussed and figured. Miocene age, is a cool-temperate assemblage dominated by In contrast, the species of the Neogene Kenai flora species of Salicaceae, Betulaceae, Rosaceae, and Ericaceae. (including the flora of the Tsadaka Formation) can Most of the relict warm-temperate genera present in the readily be assigned to extant genera, and the consider- Homerian are absent in the upper flora, the Clamgulchian, which is thought to be of Pliocene age. able amount of published work on Neogene floras aft Considered in the framework o~f the floristic succession in middle latitudes on either side of the North Pacific Alaska, the coneept of the Arcto-Tertiary geoflora does not ag- allows a better understanding of the stratigraphic and pear to be valid. floristic significance of the Kenai flora. The basic similarity between the upper Kenai and the extant INTRODUCTION Alaskan flora indicates that a continuing detailed study The Alaskan tertiary floras have held the interest of the Icenai flora will lead to a better understanding and speculation of North American Tertiary paleobot- of the Recent flora. anists for many decades, but since the first description The stratigraphic occurrences and locality data were of some Alaskan planta by Heer (1869), only one large giren in the preceding report (Wolfe, Hopkins, and paper (Hollick, 1936) has been published. Leopold, 1066). All species discussed in the systematic In recent years it has become increasingly clear that section are of stratigraphic significance and support the floral record in the Tertiary rocks of Alaska is fully the conclusions presented in the preceding paper. as complex as that of any other region in the Northern This study llas been greatly facilitated by the assist- Hemisphere and that not even the broad outlines of ance of F. F. Barnes, D. M. Hopkins, and R. A. M. Alaskan floristic history have been satisfactorily deter- Schmidt, of the 1J.S. Geological Survey. Dr. H. D. mined. The speculations on migration of floras and MacGinitie, of the Museum of Paleontology, Univer- geofloras have served only to confuse the paleobotany of sity of California (Berkeley), has freely given of his Alaska. time and experience in the discussion of floristic We nolT have numerous, though small, plant collec- problems. tions from rocks dated by marine invertebrates, as well Study of Heer's Alaskan and other specimens de- as a far better understanding of the local stratigraphic scribed in "Flora fossilis arctics" (Heer, 1869) was sequences than even 10 years ago. In particular, the made possible by a grant (GIi406) from the National considerable geologic mapping and the large number of Science Foundation. Colleagues at the Naturhistoriska fossil-plant localities in the Cook Inlet-Susitna Low- Riksmuseet (Stocliholm), the Mineralogical Museum B2 TERTIARY BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, COOK INLET REGION, ALASKA of tile 17niversity of Copenllagen, the (;ryinlands PARTIAL LIST OF FLORA OF THE CHICKALOON FORMATION (irologiske ITndersdgelse, and the British Museum (Natural History) were very llelpflxl in making these Filicinae Anemia elongata (Newb.) Knowl. spcciiliens :tv:~ilablefor study. Dennstacdtia amcricana Knowl. Tllanks are also due to Prof. W. 1,. Fry, of the Hymen~l~yllz~mconf usum Lesq. Museurn of Paleontology, TJniversity of California Onoclea l~esperiaR. TV. Br. (Berkeley), and Dr. Hans Tralau, of the Natur- Osmunda macrophylla Penh. Gymnospermae historiska Riksmu~eet (Stockholm), for the loan of Glyptostrobus nordenskioldi (Heer)R. W.Br. type specimens. .Ifetasequoia ocddentalis (Newb.) Chan. Ginkgo biloba L. FLORISTIC AND ECOLOGIC INTERPRETATION Angiospermae dlisntaphyllitcs gramflifolius (Penh.) R. W. Br. CHICKALOON FLORA Sabalites sp. Carya antiquora Newb. -is previously stated, the taxonomic relations of most Pterocarya sp. of the Chickaloon species are largely problematical. Comptonia sp. Corylites fostcri (Ward) Bell Paleocene leaf floras have, as reflected in the unqueried Quercophyllum grocnlandiruv (Heer) Koch generic references of their species, a deceptively modern "Planera" microphylla Newb. aspect. That this apparent modernity is false is well Cocculus flabella (Newb.) Wolfe demonstrated by tlie extensive work on the Paleocene Trochodendroides serrulata (Ward)Wolfe and early Eocene floras of England (Reid and Chan- Han~amelitesinaequalis (Newb.) R. W.Br. Sinouiilsonia sp. dler, 1933; Chandler, 1961,1962,1964). This work has Macaranqa sp. sllown that, on the basis of fructifications, most earlier Macaranga sp. Tertiary plants should not be assigned to extant genera. "Pterospermites" sp. cf. "P." dentatus Heer The work of Reid aiid Chandler is in a sense an indict- Yelanolepis sp. ment of the superficial techniques most often used in "Sapindus" amnia Newb. Accr sp. the