Early Cretaceous Equisetites from Slovakia

Abstract

A new find of terrestrial plant Equisetites cf. lyellii is reported from the Early Cretaceous of Slovakia. It comes from the Mráznica Formation of the Rajec Basin in Fatricum, Zbyňov locality, Rajecké Teplice (Žilina district). The presence of a 53 mm long horsetail axis, which cannot float a long distance, provides good evidence of terrestrial environments during sedimentation of the studied strata. According to our interpretation such a plant strongly indicates a moist to wet habitat (even swampy environments) on the presumed dryland from where it was transported. This dryland could represent an isolated unknown small island(s) in the vicinity or the Vindelician-Bohemian Massif that was active as a dryland for the entire period of time from the Triassic through the Late Cretaceous. Note, however, that the exact paleogeographic position of Fatricum during Mesozoic in relation to Vindelician Land is not entirely clear and such an interpretations need to be met with a caution.