Terrestrial Mio-Pliocene Boundary in the Linxia Basin,Gansu,China

The Lower Pliocene of the Linxia Basin in Gansu Province is one of only a few representative sections for the Early Pliocene sedimentary records in northern China, and even in East Asia. Recently,abundant mammalian fossils were found from the base of red clays of the Lower Pliocene Hewangjia Formation at Duikang in Guanghe County within this basin. Previously, the Pliocene mammals were sparsely found in China, and most were collected from fluvial and lacustrine deposits in the eastern Loess Plateau. Mammals from the widely distributed Pliocene Hipparion Red Clay are less in number.The known fossils from Duikang include 20 species and belong to the Shilidun Fauna. Their faunal components are similar to the Early Pliocene Gaozhuang Fauna from Ynshe, Shanxi. On the other hand, some taxa from Duikang have not been found in the Gaozhuang Fauna, are slightly more primitive in evolutionary level, and appeared mainly in the Late Miocene. As a result, the age of the Duikang fossils may be slightly earlier than that of the Gaozhuang Fauna and closer to the lower boundary of the Piiocene. The Duikang fossiliferons bed is 0.8 m above the top of the Late Miocene Linshu Formation, and the first occurrence of the three-toed horse Hipparion pater can be regarded as a biostratigraphical marker of the Miocene/Pliocene boundary. In conclusion, Duikang is an ideal candidate locality to establish as the stratotype of the lower boundary of the Chinese terrestrial Pliocene.

Quercus yangyiensis sp. nov. from the Late Pliocene of Baoshan, Yunnan and Its Paleoclimatic Significance

A new Quercus （Fagaceae） morphospecies is described based on well-preserved fossil leaves.The fossils were collected from Yangyi Formation of the Upper Pliocene at the Yangyi coalmine,Baoshan,western Yunnan,China.Details of the microstructure of mesophyll tissue are preserved because lithification of the fossils was not complete.The fossil laminas possess typical characteristics of Quercus sect.Heterobalanus：quite thick and coriaceous cuticle; secondary veins bifurcating near the margin in the middle and top of the leaf; and upper epidermis with adaxial hypodermis.Based on a detailed morphological and anatomical comparison with all living and fossil species of Quercus sect.Heterobalanus,the fossil leaves prove to be different in their sparse and garland-shaped multicellular trichomes on the lower epidermis,and so it is described as a new species Quercus yangyiensis He,Li et Sun sp.nov.The much sparser trichomes of our fossils compare well with those of living Quercus sect.Heterobalanus and indicate a more humid climate during the deposition of the Yangyi Formation in the Late Pliocene.

Structure,Timing,and Mechanism of the Pliocene and Late Miocene Uplift Process of the Ailao Shan-Diancang Shan,SE Tibet,China

The uplift of the Ailao Shan-Diancang Shan （ASDS） along the Ailao Shan-Red River （ASRR） shear zone is an important geological event in the southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau tectonic domain in the Late Cenozoic, and it preserves important information on the structures, exhumationai history and tectonic evolution of the ASRR shear zone. The uplift structural mode and uplift timing of the ASDS is currently an important scientific topic for understanding the ASDS formation and late stage movements and evolution of the ASRR shear zone. The formation of the ASDS has been widely considered to be the consequence of the strike-slip movements of the ASRR shear zone. However, the shaping of geomorphic units is generally direct results of the latest tectonic activities. In this study, we investigated the timing and uplift structural mechanism of the ASDS and provided the following lines of supportive evidence. Firstly, the primary tectonic foliation of the ASDS shows significant characteristic variations, with steeply dipping tectonic foliation developed on the east side of the ASDS and the relatively horizontal foliation on the west side. Secondly, from northeast to southwest direction, the deformation and metamorphism gradually weakened and this zone can be further divided into three different metamorphic degree belts. Thirdly, the contact relationship between the ASDS and the Chuxiong basin-Erhai lake is a normal fault contact which can be found on the east side of the ASDS. 40^Ar/^39 Argeochronology suggests that the Diancang Shan had experienced a fast cooling event during 3-4 Ma. The apatite fission track testing method gives the age of 6.6-10.7 Ma in the Diancang Shan and 4.6-8.4 Ma in the Ailao Shan, respectively. Therefore the uplift of the ASDS can be explained by tilted block mode in which the east side was uplifted much higher than the west side, and it is not main reason of the shearing movements of the ASRR shear zone. The most recent uplift stages of the ASDS happened in the Pliocene （3-4 Ma） and Late Miocene （6-10 Ma）.

Paleophytochemical Constituents from the Pliocene Fossil Wood of Pinus Armandii from Longling,Yunnan

Specimens of fossil wood preserved lignified in Pliocene brown coal and identified as Pinus armandii Francher come from an opencast coalmine at Longling in western Yunnan Province, China. Phytochemical investigation of the fossil wood isolated using liquid column chromatography seven compounds （1-7） including a new fluorene derivative named 11,11-dimethyl-11H-benzo[b]fluorene. A further 28 volatiles were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Spectroscopic investigation methods, including MS and 1D and 2D-NMR techniques elucidated the structure of the seven compounds. Two types of natural products, isopimara and stilbene commonly occuring in extant and Pliocene fossil P. armandii indicate phytochemical fidelity during burial under certain circumstances in sediments. Discovery of stilbenes that can inhibit the activities of wood-destroying fungi in the Pliocene P. armandii prompts the assumption that the chemical preservation of this Pliocene fossil wood of P. armandii in brown coal might contribute to the presence of inner natural inhibitors against wood-destroying fungi.

Late Pliocene diversity and distribution of Drynaria(Polypodiaceae) in western Yunnan explained by forest vegetation and humid climates

The palaeodiversity of flowering plants in Yunnan has been extensively interpreted from both a molecular and fossil perspective. However, for cryptogamic plants such as ferns, the palaeodiversity remains poorly known. In this study, we describe a new ferny fossil taxon, Drynaria lanpingensis sp. nov. Huang,Su et Zhou(Polypodiaceae), from the late Pliocene of northwestern Yunnan based on fragmentary frond and pinna with in situ spores. The frond is pinnatifid and the pinnae are entirely margined. The sori are arranged in one row on each side of the primary vein. The spores have a semicircular to bean-shaped equatorial view and a tuberculate surface. Taken together with previously described fossils, there are now representatives of three known fossil taxa of Drynaria from the late Pliocene of western Yunnan.These finds suggest that Drynaria diversity was considerable in the region at that time. As Drynaria is a shade-tolerant plant, growing preferably in wet conditions in the understory of forests, its extensive existence may indicate forest vegetation and humid climates in western Yunnan during the late Pliocene.This is in line with results from floristic investigations and palaeoclimatic reconstructions based on fossil floras.

Geochemistry and provenance of the lower-middle pliocene cheleken formation,Iran

In the present study,the Lower-Middle Pliocene Cheleken Formation in the south of Ghaemshahr city was studied to determine the provenance of the comprising sediments,paleoclimatic conditions,and tectonic setting of the rocks.Petrographic and geochemical analyses of major and minor elements of the samples were used for this purpose.This Formation is composed of three major facies including conglomerate,fine sandstone,and mudstone.The source formations which were recognized to be supplying sediments to the Cheleken Formation depositional basin include Lalun,Ziarat,Tizkuh,Dalichai,and Cretaceous formations.According to the discrimination diagrams and other ratios for minor elements of the studied samples,a complex of felsic to intermediate igneous rocks in the source region was deciphered.The depositional environment of the rocks experienced humid and semi-arid climatic conditions during deposition.According to the CIW index,the samples underwent a high level of weathering(97%)in the source area or during transportation.From a tectonic point of view,the Cheleken Formation was deposited in an Active Continental Margin setting.

Sea-Surface Dynamics Changes in the Subpolar North Atlantic Ocean (IODP Site U1314) during Late Pliocene Climate Transition Based on Calcareous Nannofossil Observation

Calcareous nannofossils were observed to reconstruct the surface water conditions during late Pliocene climate transition (2.55 to 2.88 Ma) from the southern Gardar Drift, in the subpolar North Atlantic IODP Site U1314 (56°21.9’1N, 27°53.3’W). A total of 24 species from 14 genera were identified by polarizing microscope observation. The coccolith assemblages are dominated by species belonging to genus Reticulofenestra with different (size-defined) morphotype. Hence, changes in paleoceanographic condition are shown by the size variation of Reticulofenstraspecimens. Before ~2.76 Ma, the studied interval is characterized by the presence of an abundant larger Reticulofenstra group. It indicates warm oligotrophic and stable surface waters. At ~2.76 Ma the abundance of large Reticulofenstra decreased abruptly and alternated with small Reticulofenstra, suggesting collapse of sea surface stability with strong mixing condition. This event coeval with the final closure of the Central American Seaway (CAS) and the onset of intensified North Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG). Subsequently, the size variation of Reticulofenestra specimens exhibits a sequential pattern that is somewhere consistent with the interglacial-glacial cycle. The pattern begins with a gradual increase in size upward during interglacial suggesting warm oligotrophic and stable condition, and ends with an abrupt decrease in coccolith size during glacial suggesting eutrophic or strong mixing condition and destabilized sea surface waters.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALKALINE VOLCANIC ROCKS OF PLIOCENE IN THE WESTERN PART OF HONGHE FAULT ZONE

A set of pull\|apart basins were formed along the Weixi—Qiaohou right\|lateral slip shear zone of the western part of Honghe fault zone during the period from Miocene to Quaternary.A rock suite of alkaline basalt\|trachyte\|leucite phonolite is distributed in the Pliocene basin developed in the middle and northern parts of the fault. The location of these rocks and the features of the basin indicate the close relationship between the rock suite and the strike\|slipping.. The sedimentological and chronological evidences prove that Dianxi plateau uplifted quickly in the Pliocene. We can get the information about the plutonic process of the uplift of the plateau from this alkaline rock association. There are mainly olivine\|pyroxene\|trachyandesite and biotite\|trachyte in the rock association. The rocks are often of porphyritic texture and block or semi\|directional flowage structure while the matrix is of trachytic or microcrystalline texture. The phanerocrysts are diopsidic augite, rimpylite, biotite and perthite (olivine sometimes can be seen). The matrix are made up of alkaline feldspar microcrystalline (30%～50%), short\|grained diopside (10%～15%), light\|colored volcanic glass (0～15%) and some magnetite, while feldspar microcrystalline in some rocks are arranged directionally. And there are sharp\|edged or round pyroxenite enclaves and hemicrystalline of short grained sinaite, biotite sinaite and felsic breccia in the trachyte, with good demarcation line. The pyroxenite enclaves in the trachyte are of different size, and the size of the biggest ones are 10cm or so with the characteristic of plastic yield flowing. Sinaite hemicrystalline may come from the older intrusions of Pliocene and Eocene epoch.

A New Species of Rhodoleia(Hamamelidaceae) from the Upper Pliocene of West Yunnan, China and Comments on Phytogeography and Insect Herbivory

In Europe, fossil fruits and seeds of Rhodoleia（Hamamelidaceae） have been described from the Upper Cretaceous to the Miocene, whereas no fossil record of Rhodoleia has been reported in Asia, where the modern species occur.Herein, 21 fossil leaves identified as Rhodoleia tengchongensis sp.nov.are described from the Upper Pliocene of Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, Southwest China.The fossils exhibit elliptic lamina with entire margins, simple brochidodromous major secondary veins, mixed percurrent intercostal tertiary veins, and looped exterior tertiaries.The leaf cuticle is characterized by pentagonal or hexagonal cells, stellate multicellular trichomes, and paracytic stomata.The combination of leaf architecture and cuticular characteristics suggests that the fossil leaves should be classified into the genus Rhodoleia.The fossil distributions indicate that the genus Rhodoleia might originate from Central Europe, and that migrated to Asia prior to the Late Pliocene.Additionally, insect damage is investigated, and different types of damage, such as hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, and galling, are observed on the thirteen fossil leaves.Based on the damage frequencies for the fossil and extant leaves, the specific feeding behavior of insects on Rhodoleia trees appears to have been established as early as the Late Pliocene.The high occurrence of Rhodoleia insect herbivory may attract the insect-foraging birds, thereby increasing the probability of pollination.

Pliocene hyperpycnal flow and its sedimentary pattern in D block of Rakhine Basin in Bay of Bengal

Based on core,logging,lab test and seismic data,sedimentary characteristics and pattern of marine hyperpycnal flow,the distribution rules of hyperpycnal flow reservoir,prediction method of favorable hyperpycnal flow reservoir zones,hydrocarbon accumulation model in hyperpycnal flow reservoir in D block of Bay of Bengal were investigated,and the favorable exploration zone and well sites were predicted.Pliocene in D block has typical hyperpycnal flow sediment,which is a set of fine-medium sandstone held between thick layers of marine mudstone and features a series of reverse grading unit and normal grading unit pairs.The hyperpycnal flow sediment appears as heavily jagged box shape,bell shape and tongue shape facies on log curves with linear gradient,and corresponds to multiple phases of deep channels on the seismic section and high sinuous channel on stratal slices.The sedimentary bodies formed by a single phase hyperpycnal flow which include five types of microfacies,namely,supply channel(valley),channel complex,branch channel,levee and sheet sand.The hyperpycnal flow sediments appear in multiple branches,multiple generations and stages in space,forming high-quality reservoirs in strips on the plane and superposition vertically,with fairly good physical properties.The channel complex sandstone,with large thickness,coarse particle size and good physical properties,is the most favorable exploration facies.Based on the guidance of the sedimentary model,distribution of the channel complex microfacies was delineated in detail by seismic reflection structure analysis,spectrum waveform characteristic analysis,slice and attribute fusion,and combined with the structural feature analysis,the favorable drilling zone was sorted out,effectively guiding the exploration deployment of the block.

Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Basaltic Rocks and Enclosed Xenoliths from the Ghab Pliocene Volcanic Field in Northwestern Syria

Basaltic rocks and their content of ultramafic xenoliths are common in the Ghab Pliocene Volcanic Field in northwestern Syria in the form of lava flows, cinder cones and pyroclastic deposits. The rocks occur within the Ghab pull- apart graben that formed by sinister strike slip faults within the zone that defines the boundary between the African and the Arabian plates. Three petrographic types occur: basanite, olivine basalt and more commonly alkali olivine basalt. The peridotite xenoliths are spinel lherzolite and harzburgite. Geochemical analysis indicates that the basalts are mostly alkaline to subalkaline. A distinctive feature of these rocks is the narrow compositional variations in the content of most major oxides and minor elements, SiO2 (44.33 - 46.43 wt%) and MgO (4.01 - 8.28 wt%). Some of the refractory and high field strength elements and incompatible minor elements in the basalts are relatively high (Cr average = 303 ppm and Ni average = 185 ppm) compared with their content in average basalts. These geochemical characteristics reflect crystallization of the Ghab basalts from pristine and primary magmas that have experienced minimal fractional crystallization and crustal contamination. Similarly, chemical compositions of the ultramafic xenoliths vary within a restricted geochemical range. They are compatible with the generation of these rocks from partial melting of a primitive mantle pyrolite to yield the xenoliths. These magmatic processes operated during the Pliocene in a regional transtensional stress environment attending the development of the Dead Sea Rift.

Identification of Greigite in the Pliocene Sediments of Qinghai Lake and Its Geological Significance

The Qinghai Lake in North China is the largest interior plateau lake in Central Asia, and is sensitive to climate change and the environmental effects of Tibetan Plateau uplift. An almost continuous 626 m long sediment core was drilled in an in-filled part of the southern lake basin in the Scientific Drilling at Qinghai Lake.

Pliocene cyprinids (Cypriniformes,Teleostei) from Kunlun Pass Basin,northeastern Tibetan Plateau and their bearings on development of water system and uplift of the area

Here described are the cyprinid fossils from the Pliocene Lower Member of Qiangtang Formation of the Kunlun Pass Basin,northeastern Tibetan Plateau,collected at a locality 4769 m above the sea level(asl).The materials consist of numerous disarticulated and incomplete bones as well as thousands of pharyngeal teeth,fin rays,and vertebrae.The fossils were referred to the genus Gymnocypris,lineage Schizothoracini,family Cyprinidae;the lineage Schizothoracini;and the family Cyprinidae respectively.The Schizothoracini is a freshwater fish group endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding area.Previous workers on living schizothoracins regarded that Gymnocypris belongs to the highly specialized grade of the group,colonizing higher altitudes than other members of the group.Two species are so far unequivocally assigned to the genus,i.e.,G.przewalskii and G.eckloni,and they are inhabiting Qinghai Lake and the waters on both north(the Golmud River) and south(upper reach of the Yellow River) sides of the East Kunlun Mountain,respectively.The abundant fossil schizothoracins occur in the Kunlun Pass Basin on the southern slope of the East Kunlun Mountain(at 4769 m asl),close to the present Golmud River,indicating comparatively rich waters in the area and possible connections between the water systems on north and south sides of the East Kunlun Mountain during the Pliocene.This also suggests a more humid climate in the area during the Pliocene than it is today.The presence of the highly specialized schizothoracin Gymnocypris may also imply less amplitude of uplift(approximately 1000 m) in the area since the Pliocene than previously proposed.

Conifer Woods of the Pliocene Age from Yunnan, China

Abstract: The Tertiary floras play an integral role in understanding the biodiversity and interactions between climate and vegetation in Yunnan, China. The fossil spores, pollen grains, and leaves in this region have been investiaged intensively. In comparison, the woods have been studied relatively little. A large number of Pliocene wood specimens was collected from the opencast lignite coal mine of Hongxing situated in Changning County of Yunnan Province. Among the collection, Tsuga cf. dumosa (D. Don) Eichler and Pinus cf. armandii Franchet were identified based on wood structures. The subtle feature of tori extensions is reported in the wood of T. cf. dumosa. Considering the climatic requirements of modern T. dumosa and P. armandii, the two species of conifer described from Pliocene sediments probably grew in mountainous terrain at an elevation of approximately 2 300 m, in a cool and humid environment.

Pliocene flora and paleoenvironment of Zanda Basin, Tibet, China

This paper describes a plant megafossil assemblage from the Pliocene strata of Xiangzi, Zanda Basin in the western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Twenty-one species belonging to 12 genera and 10 families were identified. Studies show that the Pliocene vegetation in Zanda Basin was mostly deciduous shrub composed of Cotoneaster, Spiraea, Caragana, Hippophae,Rhododendron, Potentilla fruticosa, etc. Leaf sizes of these taxa were generally small. Paleoclimate reconstruction using Coexistence Analysis and CLAMP showed that this area had higher temperature and precipitation in the Pliocene than today, and distinct seasonal precipitation variability was established. The reconstructed paleoelevation of Zanda Basin in the Pliocene was similar to modern times. In the context of central Asian aridification, the gradual drought in the area beginning in the late Cenozoic caused vegetation to transition from shrub to desert, and the flora composition also changed.

Comparison Study of Paleovegetation and Paleoclimate in South and North Kunlun Mountains in Pliocene

According to the data of pollen analysis,the vegetation varied greatly between the southand the north of the Kurdun Mountains during the Pliocene.To the south of the Kunlun Mountains,includ-ing their south flank,there was distribution of needle and broad-leaf mixed forest that contained tropical andsubtropical compositions,while to the north of the Kunlun Mountains,including their north flank,therewas distribution of temperate deciduous broad-leaf forest and steppe.In both areas mentioned above,therewere scattered middle Asian arid plants of a lush growth in the late Pliocene.In the Pliocene,the Pamir-Kunlun Ranges acted as the division line of the southern and northern types of plants.Then,with the risingof these mountains,inciuding Pamir,Kunlun and Himalaya,this division line had been moving,until itreached the Xindukushi-Himalaya Mountains at present.

The evolution of the Kuroshio Current over the last 5 million years since the Pliocene: Evidence from planktonic foraminiferal faunas

Meridional heat transport of the western Pacific boundary current(the Kuroshio Current)is one of the key factors in global climate change.This current is important because it controls the temperature gradient between low latitudes and the North Pacific and so significantly influences mid-latitude atmosphere-ocean interactions.Here we reconstruct changes in hydrological conditions within the mid-latitude mainstream of the Kuroshio Current based on faunal analysis of planktonic foraminifera in core DSDP 296 from the Northwest Pacific Ocean.This approach enabled us to deduce evolutionary processes within the Kuroshio Current since the Pliocene.A total of 57 species in the coarser section(>150μm)were identified;results indicate that planktonic foraminiferal faunal evolution has mainly been characterized by three major stages,the first of which comprised mixed-layer warm-water species of Globigerinoides ruber which first appeared between 3.5 and 2.7 Ma and then gradually increased in content.Percentages of another warm-water species of G.conglobatus also gradually increased in number over this interval.Variations in warm-water species indicate a gradual rise in sea surface temperature(SST)and imply initiation of Kuroshio Current impact on the Northwest Pacific Ocean since at least 3.5 Ma.Secondly,over the period between 2.7 and 2.0 Ma,thermocline species of Globigerina calida,Neogloboquadrina humersa,Neogloboquadrina dutertrei,and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata started to appear in the section.This fauna was dominated by G.ruber as well as increasing G.conglobatus contents.These features imply a further rise in SST and its gradually enhanced influence on thermocline water,suggesting strengthening of the Kuroshio Current since 2.7 Ma.Thirdly,between 2.0 Ma and present,increasing contents of thermocline species(i.e.,G.calida,N.dutertrei and P.obliquiloculata)indicate a gradual rise in seawater temperature at this depth and also imply more intensive Kuroshio Current during this period.On the basis of comparative records from cores ODP 806 and DSDP292 from the low latitude Western Pacific,we propose that initiation of the impact of the Kuroshio Current in the Northwest Pacific and it subsequent stepwise intensifications since 3.5 Ma can be closely related to the closure and restriction of the Indonesian and Central American seaways as well as variations in the Western Pacific Warm Pool(WPWP)and equatorial Pacific region.

The late Pliocene species with ternate venation of Lauraceae from Tuantian flora, Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

A number of fossil leaves of the Lauraceae were collected from Tuantian flora of the late Pliocene strata in Yunnan, China. They have a whole leaf shape and well-preserved cuticles. In this paper, features of the architecture and epidermis of three species of the Lauraceae family with ternate venation are reported. Results of the comparison between the venation characteristics of Lauraceae fossils from four fossil floras in the world and those of extant Lauraceae in China suggest that the proportion of Lauraceae species with ternate venation is increasing. The proportion has risen from 10% in the Eocene to 12.5% in the late Pliocene in China, whereas the proportion in the modern era is 21%. Moreover, the proportion of Australian floras with ternate venation has rised from 8.3% to 10% between the Eocene and the Miocene. Because of the effect of the global drought during the Cenozoic era, we suggested that species with ternate venation in Lauraceae have become increasingly prevalent between the Eocene era and the present day in China. Data on Nerriga flora and Maarlake flora since the Eocene era in the Southern Hemisphere show the same trend. While features of the leaf architecture and epidermis of Lindera acuminatissima differ in details. They all have similar identification characteristics with regard to basal eucamptodromous venation, interior 2° present, minor 2° simple brochidodromous, anticlinal walls, no surface ornamentation, lip-like guard cells, outer stomatal ledge plain or dimness, and paracytic stomatal aperture. These differences are also present in extant species. Compared with Lindera tonkinensis, the nearest living relative(NLR) of L. acuminatissima shows that these differences are relevant to the growth, position, and development of leaves. Leaf-type classification statistics of L. acuminatissima indicate that when all fossil leaves are taken into consideration, A-type leaves account for 24%, B-type leaves make up 56%, and C-typy leaves account for 20%. Comparing the above result with that of NLRs, A-type leaves are generally immature spires and cannot be preserved easily, B-type leaves are regular mature leaves and fossilize more easil, and C-type leaves are usually old leaves occurring at the bottom, broken, ill and consumed by worms.

Late Miocene/Early Pliocene vertebrate fauna from Mallorca(Balearic Islands,Western Mediterranean):an update

The vertebrate fossil record from the Balearic Islands(western Mediterranean)has improved considerably over the past decade,especially in Mallorca and Menorca.In Menorca,the Pliocene terrestrial fauna was updated by the discovery and description of the large-sized leporid Nuralagus,several reptiles and an amphibian.In Mal-lorca,paleontological exploration yielded 2 deposits with a Late Miocene/Early Pliocene chronology,Calóden Rafelino(CdR)and Na Burguesa-1(NB-1).So far,4 new mammalian taxa and 2 new reptiles have been iden-tified for the CdR deposit,whereas the faunal assemblage from the recently discovered deposit(Apr 2012)of NB-1 is currently composed of,at least,6 terrestrial mammals,8 reptiles and an amphibian.Its faunal composi-tion and some primitive characteristics of the obtained taxa suggest that the chronology of this deposit is slight-ly earlier than the CdR.The terrestrial vertebrates recorded in these 2 Mallorcan deposits are changing the view of the paleofaunal assemblage previously known for the Plio-Pleistocene of the island.Morphological charac-teristics displayed by some of the taxa suggest that these faunas would be at the beginning of an isolated evo-lution.In this paper we present a preliminary report on the fossils recovered from the NB-1 deposit,as well as some unpublished data from CdR,and we analyze the whole fauna from both Mallorcan deposits,focusing on taxonomical and paleobiogeographical aspects.

Pliocene taxodiaceous fossil wood from southwestern Ukraine and its palaeoenvironmental implications

Mineralized wood collected from Late Pliocene strata near Gorbki village in the Transcarpathian region of Beregovo Kholmogor’e in southwestern Ukraine was anatomically studied and identified.The wood possesses distinctive anatomical features and has distinct growth rings with an abrupt transition from early-to late-wood.Wood consists of tracheids with 1-3 seriate,dominating bi-seriate,opposite pits on the radial walls and taxodioid crossfield pitting,indentures present.Rays are uni-seriate and 1 to 73 cells high.Ray parenchyma horizontal walls thin and smooth.Axial parenchyma distributed in early-and late-wood and is solitary and diffuse,with end walls nearly smooth or slightly nodular.The combination of features observed in the wood indicates it belongs to the conifer family Taxodiaceae and is most similar to modern Sequoia and assigned to the fossil genus Sequoioxylon.Comparison with species of Sequoioxylon show it is most similar to Sequoioxylon burejense,but ray tracheids were not found in our specimens.We describe the specimens here as Sequoioxylon cf.s.burejense noting this similarity.Extant Sequoia is distributed in the northern California coastal forest eco-region of northern California and southern Oregon in the United States where they usually grow in a unique environment with heavy seasonal precipitation(2500 mm annually),cool coastal air and fog drip.This study supplies magafossil evidence of Sequoioxylon as an element of the Late Pliocene forest community in Ukraine and indicates a climate with heavy seasonal precipitation and fog drip.