Journal article
Terrestrial cooling record through the Eocene-Oligocene transition of Australia
Vera A Korasidis, Malcolm W Wallace, Barbara E Wagstaff, Robert S Hill
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2019
Abstract
A new mid-latitude terrestrial climate proxy record is presented for southeastern Australia. The Middle Eocene to Middle Miocene palynofloral and δ13C record of the Latrobe Group, Gippsland Basin, details that the climate of southeastern Australia, paleolatitude 60–50°S, supported the growth of highly diverse subtropical to cool-temperate rainforests. These forests are characterized by mesothermal to microthermal floral elements that are here interpreted as subtropical (Malvacipollis subtilis and Cupanieidites orthoteichus dominated palynofloras), warm-temperate (Beaupreadites elegansiformis and Phyllocladus mawsonii dominated palynofloras) and cool-temperate (Nothofagus spp. and Dacrycarpid..
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Funding Acknowledgements
AGL Loy Yang and GHD are gratefully acknowledged for enabling the sampling of the M2A, M1B and M1A seams from the Loy Yang Open Cut Mine. Energy Australia is also gratefully acknowledged for enabling the sampling of the Yallourn seam from the Yallourn Open Cut Mine. We are also grateful to Dr. Alan Partridge and Dr. Michael Macphail for their insights into the identification of palynomorphs. This work was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and the Albert Shimmins Fund.