A new Oligocene leaf assemblage from the Ghalandar area (NW Iran) and its contribution to understanding of floristic evolution in the eastern Paratethys
Abstrakt
The geological survey in NW Iran (Ahar area, Ghalandar village) carried out by the Czech Geological Survey in the years 2007-2009 provided new data on the geology, coal petrography and palaeobotany of this part of the eastern Paratethys. The recovered plant impressions, dated by radiometric ages of associated volcanic rocks to the Oligocene, have been identified as Osmunda parschlugiana (Unger) Andr., Picea (sect.
Omorika) sp., cf. Magnolia sp., Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis (Rossm.) Walther & Kvacek, cf.
Acer aegopodifolium (Gopp.) Baik. and Dicotylophyllum subpeltatum Kvacek sp. nov. The site characterizes a new floristic assemblage ("complex") Ghalandar in the eastern Paratethys, which differs from the Oligocene broad-leaved evergreen floristic assemblage of Dilizhan previously defined from the Caucasus area by the mixed-mesophytic character of forest vegetation.