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The Kanaka Creek Fossil Flora (Huntingdon Formation), British Columbia, Canada—Paleoenvironment and Evidence for Paleocene Age Using Palynology and Macroflora

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The Kanaka Creek Fossil Flora (Huntingdon Formation), British Columbia, Canada—Paleoenvironment and Evidence for Paleocene Age Using Palynology and Macroflora Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences The Kanaka Creek fossil flora (Huntingdon Formation), British Columbia, Canada—paleoenvironment and evidence for Paleocene age using palynology and macroflora Journal: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences Manuscript ID cjes-2018-0325.R3 Manuscript Type: Article Date Submitted by the 08-Jul-2019 Author: Complete List of Authors: Mathewes, Rolf W.; Simon Fraser University, Greenwood, David; Brandon University, Dept. of Biology Love, Renee;Draft University of Idaho, Department of Geological Sciences Paleocene, Paleobotany, Palynology, Kanaka Creek, Huntingdon Keyword: Formation, Paleoclimate Is the invited manuscript for consideration in a Special Not applicable (regular submission) Issue? : https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjes-pubs Page 1 of 62 Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 1 The Kanaka Creek fossil flora (Huntingdon Formation), British Columbia, 2 Canada—paleoenvironment and evidence for Paleocene age using palynology and 3 macroflora 4 5 Rolf W. Mathewes, David R. Greenwood, and Renée L. Love 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rolf W. Mathewes, Department of DraftBiological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 12 Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada; 13 David R. Greenwood, Department of Biology, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, 14 R7A 6A9, Canada; 15 Renée L. Love, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, 16 Idaho, USA. 17 18 19 Corresponding author: Rolf W. Mathewes (email: [email protected]) 20 Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, 21 Burnaby, B.C. Canada, V5A 1S6; 22 Phone: 778-782-4472 23 FAX: 778-772-3496 24 1 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjes-pubs Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences Page 2 of 62 25 Abstract 26 Paleogene sediments of the Huntingdon Formation, a correlative to the Chuckanut 27 Formation of neighboring Washington State, USA, are exposed in the greater Vancouver 28 area, British Columbia, Canada. Palynology and plant macrofossils suggest the Kanaka 29 Creek section is Paleocene rather than Eocene in age. Detrital zircon dating is less 30 decisive, yet indicates the Kanaka rocks are no older than Maastrichtian. Analyses of 31 plant macro- and microfossils suggest an early to middle Paleocene age for the Kanaka 32 fossil flora. Paleocene indicators include macrofossils such as Platanus bella, 33 Archeampelos, Hamamelites inequalis, and Ditaxocladus, and pollen taxa such as 34 Paraalnipollenites, Triporopollenites mullensis, and Duplopollis. Paleogene taxa such as 35 Woodwardia maxonii, Macclintockia,Draft and Glyptostrobus dominate the flora. Fungal 36 spores including the Late Cretaceous Pesavis parva and the Paleogene Pesavis tagluensis 37 are notable age indicators. Physiognomy of 41 angiosperm leaf morphotypes from 38 Kanaka Creek yields mean annual temperatures in the microthermal to lower 39 mesothermal range (11.2 ± 4.3°C to 14.6 ± 2.7°C from LMA; 14.8 ± 2.1°C from 40 CLAMP), with mild winters (cold month mean temperature 3.9 ± 3.4°C). Paleoclimate 41 was cooler than the upper Paleocene and Eocene members of the Chuckanut Formation. 42 Mean annual precipitation is estimated at ~140 cm with large uncertainties. The Kanaka 43 paleoflora is reconstructed as a mixed conifer-broadleaf forest, sharing common taxa with 44 other western North American Paleocene floras and growing in a temperate moist 45 climate. Kanaka Creek is a rare coastal Paleocene plant locality that provides new 46 insights into coastal vegetation and climate prior to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal 47 Maximum. 2 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjes-pubs Page 3 of 62 Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 48 Keywords: Paleocene, paleobotany, palynology, paleoclimate, Huntingdon Formation, 49 Kanaka Creek 50 51 52 Introduction 53 The main objectives of this paper are to assess the age assignment and paleoclimate 54 of the Kanaka Creek paleoflora, southwestern British Columbia, Canada, using plant 55 macrofossils as well as pollen and spores. Our study has four key components. First, to 56 provide evidence that Kanaka Creek rocks are Paleocene, and not Eocene in age (Mustard 57 and Rouse 1994; Mathewes et al. 2018).Draft Second, to provide the first published 58 illustrations of selected plant fossils for Kanaka Creek, particularly age informative taxa. 59 A thorough taxonomic treatment of the paleoflora is planned for later. Third, to 60 reconstruct the paleoclimate for Kanaka Creek from its angiosperm leaves. Fourth, to 61 compare the floral composition and paleoclimate of Kanaka Creek with other Paleocene 62 plant localities in the region, notably the putatively coeval basal Chuckanut Formation in 63 Washington State, USA (e.g., Pabst 1968; Griggs 1970; Mustoe and Gannaway 1997; 64 Breedlovestrout et al. 2013), and more broadly with other selected Paleocene floras in 65 western Canada and adjoining areas (e.g., Crane et al. 1990; Moiseeva et al. 2009; Pigg 66 and DeVore 2010; Sunderlin et al. 2011, 2014; Stockey et al. 2013, 2014; Greenwood 67 and West 2017). Our analysis of the Kanaka Creek fossil flora provides insights into 68 Paleocene coastal environments of British Columbia that were hitherto lacking. 3 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjes-pubs Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences Page 4 of 62 69 Eocene floras in British Columbia are relatively well known (e.g., Rouse 1962; 70 Hopkins 1969; Greenwood et al. 2005, 2016; Steenbock et al. 2011; Mathewes et al. 71 2016; Pigg and DeVore 2016; Lowe et al. 2018); however, Paleocene floras from Canada 72 and adjoining areas are largely restricted to a number of well-described macrofloras from 73 Alberta and Saskatchewan (e.g., Bell 1949, 1965; Chandrasekharam 1974; Christophel 74 1976; McIver and Basinger 1993; Hoffman and Stockey 2000; Stockey et al. 2013, 2014; 75 Greenwood and West 2017), and to a series of Paleocene to Eocene sites in Nunavut, 76 Yukon, North Dakota, and Alaska (e.g., Wolfe 1966; Crane et al. 1990; McIver and 77 Basinger 1999; Greenwood et al. 2010; Pigg and DeVore 2010; Sunderlin et al. 2011, 78 2014; Vavrek et al. 2012; West et al. 2015). Rouse (1967) reported a leaf and pollen flora 79 of Maastrichtian to Danian (i.e., earlyDraft Paleocene) age from Parsnip Creek in central 80 British Columbia. 81 Underlying the Greater Vancouver area, Paleogene sedimentary rocks of the 82 Huntingdon Formation were deposited within the northern part of the Chuckanut Basin 83 (Breedlovestrout 2011; Fig. 1), a non-marine basin also referred to as the Whatcom Basin 84 (Hopkins 1969) or Georgia Basin (Mustard and Rouse 1994). Huntingdon Formation 85 rocks are exposed at scattered outcrops in the Fraser River Delta area, including Kanaka 86 Creek on the northern margin of the basin (Fig. 2). Huntingdon Formation sediments 87 were deposited at least in part coevally with the upper Paleocene to Eocene Chuckanut 88 Formation of neighboring Washington State (Griggs 1970; Reiswig 1982; 89 Breedlovestrout et al. 2013). Most of the Huntingdon Formation has been dated from 90 palynology and regional lithostratigraphic correlation as Eocene (Mustard and Rouse 91 1994). Sediments exposed at Kanaka Creek are not well constrained, however, with 4 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjes-pubs Page 5 of 62 Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 92 Paleocene to Eocene ages favored by different workers (Crickmay and Pocock 1963; 93 Mustard and Rouse 1994; Mathewes et al. 2018). Further, the Kanaka Creek fossil flora 94 has not been described and illustrated, with prior accounts of the macroflora anecdotal 95 (e.g., Mustard and Rouse 1994; Wolfe et al. 2000), and the microflora reported within the 96 context of the former Kitsilano and Burrard formations (Crickmay and Pocock 1963), 97 rock units now considered part of either the Huntingdon Formation (Kitsilano Member) 98 or the Upper Cretaceous lower Nanaimo Group (former Burrard Formation; Mustard and 99 Rouse 1994). The Eocene exposures studied palynologically by Mustard and Rouse 100 (1994) include the Ferguson Point, Second Beach, and Kitsilano Beach sites, with 101 Paleocene palynomorphs identified at Third Beach, all in the English Bay area, west of 102 Kanaka Creek (Figs. 2 and 3). Draft 103 104 Geological setting 105 Regional history and stratigraphy 106 The oldest fossil-bearing sedimentary rocks in the region are the Upper Cretaceous 107 Nanaimo Group (Extension-Protection Formation), widely exposed along eastern 108 Vancouver Island and some adjacent Gulf Islands (Fig. 1). A Late Cretaceous age for the 109 Nanaimo Group is indicated by marine molluscs and palynological correlations 110 (Crickmay and Pocock 1963; Mustard and Rouse 1994). The eastward extension of 111 Upper Cretaceous rocks in this sedimentary basin onto the mainland was controversial, 112 but has been confirmed by palynology that small outcrops occur at English Bay and 113 North Vancouver (Rouse 1962; Fig. 2). These outcrops were originally described as the 5 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjes-pubs Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences Page 6 of 62 114 Lions Gate Member of the Burrard Formation (Rouse et al. 1975) and are now considered 115 part of the Campanian Nanaimo Group (Mustard and Rouse 1994). 116 The ages of Cenozoic sedimentary rock formations underlying the Fraser River 117 Delta in southwestern British Columbia have long been discussed and disputed in the 118 published literature (Crickmay and Pocock 1963) with interpreted ages ranging from 119 Cretaceous to Paleocene, Eocene, and even early Oligocene (see Mustard and Rouse 120 1994). This uncertainty is largely
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