Cellular preservation and maceral development in lignite and wood from the Brassington Formation (Miocene), Derbyshire, UK

Abstract

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Palaeoclimate reconstruction and age assessment of the Miocene flora from the Trwyn y Parc solution pipe complex of Anglesey, Wales, UK

“…The palynological flora preserved within the Trwyn y Parc solution pipe complex is of special interest as the only evidence of a Middle Miocene past environment in the UK and the potential for future discoveries is high. This final point is exemplified by recent discoveries and advances made from restudying the Serravallian -Tortonian Kenslow Member in Derbyshire, England (Pound et al 2012a;2019;Pound and Riding 2016;Walsh et al 2018;O'Keefe et al 2020). The nationally important Kenslow Member flora forms part of the Bees Nest and Green Clay SSSI designation (Natural England 2021).…”

“…The Brassington Formation in central England (Fig. 1) is the most widely studied due to the presence of sediments in around 60 karstic pits and the presence of abundant palynological and palaeobotanical remains in the Kenslow Member (Pound and Riding 2016;Walsh et al 2018;Pound et al 2012a;2019;O'Keefe et al 2020). The uppermost Kenslow Member of the Brassington Formation was shown to be diachronous (Pound and Riding 2016).…”

The fungal ecology of the Brassington Formation (Middle Miocene) of Derbyshire, United Kingdom, and a new method for palaeoclimate reconstruction

“…Clay from the so-called wood horizon (Pound et al, 2019;O'Keefe et al, 2020) in the middle of the Kenslow Member (beginning with the Wood Sample) contains abundant fungi, of which 24 were identifiable to modern taxa. These include a number of wet-tolerant taxa, such as cf.…”

“…This boundary separates more (zone KM19-2) and less (zone KM19-1) diverse plant pollen and spore assemblages that appear to correspond to initiation of what would become a peat-producing wetland system. The change is coupled with increased coalification of preserved wood (O'Keefe et al, 2020) and an increase in freshwater submerged fungal taxa (cf. Bactrodesmium, Brachysporiella aff.…”

“…The Brassington Formation is present in around 60 karstic hollows and consists of three members: Kirkham, Bees Nest and the uppermost Kenslow Member. Only the uppermost unit, the Kenslow Member, is fossiliferous (Boulter and Chaloner, 1970;Pound et al, 2012bPound et al, , 2019Pound and Riding, 2016;Walsh et al, 2018;O'Keefe et al, 2020;McCoy et al, in review). The Kenslow member, the focus of this study, is composed of around 6 m of massive grey clay with common plant fragments near the top (Boulter et al, 1971;Walsh et al, 2018).…”