Thursday, 30 August 2007 - 2:10 PM
4.P1.D-3

Palynoflora of Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands: Contribution to the understanding of the evolution of the southern pacific Gondwana margin

Sylvia Palma-Heldt, Departamento Ciencias de La Tierra, Universidad de Concepción, ., Casilla 160-C, Concepción, 000000000000, Chile

Palynoflora are reported from morainic deposits at several localities on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. The palynomorphs observed include Pteridophyta, Pinophyta, Magnoliophyta and fungal spores. It is possible to distinguish two different palynological assemblages from the moraine deposits of Shirreff Cape, arbitrarily called Type A and B. Pteridophyta and Podocarpaceae dominate in the Type A association and in the Byers Peninsula palynoflora. Warm and humid conditions and an Early Cretaceous age are attributed to it. The Type B assemblage is characterized by a subantarctic flora with Pteridophyta, Pinophyta and Nothofagidites spp., a cold-temperate and humid climate, and a probable Late Cretaceous-Paleogene age. The palynological associations from Williams Point and Hannah Point are characterized by Pteridophyta, Pinophyta and Magnoliophyta with a probable Late Cretaceous age and temperate-humid climate.  The palynomorph assemblage of Hannah Point is later than the one observed from Williams Point.

[Manuscript]