www.geologicacarpathica.sk
Introduction
The end-Triassic extinction event represents one of the five
biggest mass extinctions during the Phanerozoic (Sepkoski
1996; Hallam & Wignall 1997a). The causes of this ecosys-
tem collapse are still under discussion. Climatic changes, sea-
level changes, oceanic anoxia (Hallam 1997; Hallam &
Wignall 1997b), as well as flood basalt volcanism (Marzoli et
al. 1999; Hesselbo et al. 2002; Pálfy 2003) and extraterrestrial
impacts (Olsen et al. 2002) are frequently cited agents that
could be responsible for this sudden decrease of biodiversity.
For dating and correlation of significant environmental
changes around the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in different
paleogeographic settings, detailed biostratigraphic investiga-
tions in terrestrial and marine depositional series are needed.
Palynology provides an excellent tool for correlation of con-
tinental and marine environments, since sedimentary organic
matter of marine sediments comprises two fractions: a terres-
trial allochthonous fraction, made up of phytoclasts, pollen
grains and spores and a marine relatively autochthonous
fraction composed of marine plankton. Palynological studies
of the Triassic/Jurassic boundary with special focus on the
extinction event are still rare. Fowell & Olsen (1993) de-
scribe a sudden floral turnover and a strong decrease in pol-
len and spore diversity coevally with an Iridium anomaly in
terrestrial sediments of the Newark Supergroup (Newark Ba-
sin, USA). In other paleogeographical settings, indicators for
a microfloral mass extinction are absent. In marine sections
of the NW Tethyan realm a bloom of prasinophytes, known
as “disaster species” (Tappan 1980), was reported by Kuer-
Climate change at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary:
palynological evidence from the Furkaska section
(Tatra Mountains, Slovakia)
KATRIN RUCKWIED
1
and ANNETTE E. GÖTZ
2
1
Shell International Exploration and Production B.V., Kessler Park 1, 2288 GS Rijswijk, The Netherlands; Katrin.Ruckwied@shell.com
2
Darmstadt University of Technology, Institute of Applied Geosciences, Schnittspahnstr. 9, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany;
goetz@energycenter.tu-darmstadt.de
(Manuscript received January 14, 2008; accepted in revised form October 23, 2008)
Abstract: The palynology of the Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval of the Furkaska section (Tatra Mts, Slovakia) was
studied with respect to a major climatic change during that period. The palynofacies is dominated by terrestrial particles,
indicating a shallow marine depositional environment. The palynomorphs are fairly well-preserved and the assemblage
shows characteristic changes within the Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval: the lower part of the section is characterized
by high abundance of Ricciisporites tuberculatus. The sudden increase in abundance of trilete spores, the decrease in the
abundance of Ovalipollis spp., the last appearance of Alisporites minimus and Corollina spp., and the first appearance of
Concavisporites rhaetoliassicus, Cyatidites australis, Callialasporites dampieri, Pinuspollenites minimus, Platysaccus
spp. and Zebrasporites fimbriatus are striking features for a subdivision of two palynomorph assemblages. The detected
spore shift is interpreted to display a sudden increase in humidity most probably caused by the volcanic activity of the
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) associated with the onset of rifting of Pangaea during early Mesozoic times.
Key words: Triassic/Jurassic boundary, Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, climate change, palynology, palynofacies.
schner et al. (2007), Van de Schootbrugge et al. (2007) and
Ruckwied (2008).
In the framework of the IGCP 458 Project “Triassic/Juras-
sic boundary events: Mass extinction, global environmental
change, and driving forces” Michalík et al. (2007a) focussed
on environmental changes recorded in the Triassic/Jurassic
boundary series of the Western Carpathians. An integrated
study of sedimentary and organic facies as well as clay min-
eralogy points to a sudden increase of humidity during the
boundary interval (Michalík et al. submitted). The present
study focuses on the palynology of the Furkaska section
(Tatra Mts) with respect to changes within the microfloral
assemblage of the boundary interval.
Geological setting
During Late Triassic times, the study area was located on
the NW Tethyan shelf, bordering the Neotethys Ocean
Branch. The Tatra Mountains represent a part of the Tatro-
Veporic Unit, which was located close to the Upper Aus-
troalpine Unit (Michalík 1994; Haas 2001). During the Early
Jurassic the European shelf was influenced by the extension-
al Penninic rift, creating small pull-apart basins in the W
Carpathian-E Alpine crustal block (Michalík 1993; Fig. 1).
The Zliechov Basin comprises a latest Triassic to mid-Creta-
ceous sedimentary record (Plašienka 2001; Michalík 2007a).
The Upper Rhaetian series is composed of dark coloured car-
bonates and shales (Fatra Formation), displaying ten facies
zones (Michalík 1973, 1974, 1977). The depositional envi-
GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, APRIL 2009, 60, 2, 139—149 doi: 10.2478/v10096-009-0009-0
140
RUCKWIED and GÖTZ
ronments varied from salt marshes through carbonate ramp
to deeper neritic slope, and were populated by characteristic
benthic associations (Michalík 1978a; Michalík & Jendrejáko-
vá 1978) dominated by brachiopods and bivalves (Michalík et
al. 2007a). The Upper Rhaetian carbonate succession is over-
lain by dark brown clays, the so-called “Boundary Clay” and
sandstones named “Cardinia Sandstone” (“Cardinien Sand-
stein”; Goetel 1917) of the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) Kopi-
enec Formation (Michalík 2003). The stratigraphic boundary
was placed near the lithological boundary on the basis of mi-
crofacies analyses and a striking negative excursion of the
δ
13
C
carb
isotopic curve (Michalík et al. 2007a).
Biostratigraphy
In the Western Carpathian Tatra Mountains, Late Triassic
microfossils of biostratigraphical use, mainly foraminifers
and conodonts, are rare (Gaździcki 1974, 1978, 1983;
Gaździcki et al. 1979, 2000; Gaździcki & Michalík 1980;
Błaszyk & Gaździcki 1982; Michalík & Gaździcki 1983;
Fijałkowska & Uchman 1993). A detailed foraminiferal zo-
nation is based on the rapid evolutionary changes of Involu-
tinidae, Ammodiscidae and Ophthalmidiinae. The sequence of
the Rhaetian Glomospirella friedli-Triasina hantkeni Assem-
blage Zone and the Hettangian-Sinemurian Ophthalmidium
leischneri-Ophthalmidium walfordi Assemblage Zone was de-
tected by Gaździcki (1978). The Glomospirella friedli-Triasi-
na hantkeni Zone was correlated with both the Choristoceras
haueri and Ch. marshi ammonoid Zones (Rhaetian), and its
extent also corresponds to that of the Misikella posthern-
steini conodont Zone. The extent of the Early Jurassic Oph-
thalmidium leischneri-Ophthalmidium walfordi Zone may
correspond to the Planorbis to Angulata, and possibly also
the Bucklandi Standard ammonite Zones of the Hettangian—
Sinemurian, defining the age of the basal Jurassic strata in
the Tatra Mountains (Michalík et al. 2007a).
Material and methods
The Furkaska section is situated in the Furkaska Valley
east of the village of Oravice (Fig. 2). The W slope of the Mt
Ve ká Furkaska exposes a succession of Upper Triassic to
Lower Cretaceous sediments of the Krížna Nappe. The in-
vestigated Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval is exposed in
a small cascade section, revealing a continuous, ca. 25 m
thick depositional series. Palynofacies analysis was carried
out on a total of 12 samples from limestones, shales and
sandstones. All samples were prepared using standard pa-
lynological processing techniques, including HCl (33%) and
HF (73%) treatment for dissolution of carbonates and sili-
cates, and saturated ZnCl
2
solution (D
≈2.2 g/ml) for density
separation. Residues were sieved at 15 µm mesh size. Slides
have been mounted in Eukitt, a commercial, resin-based
mounting medium. The relative percentages of sedimentary
organic constituents are based on counting at least 500 parti-
cles per slide. The classification of terrestrial and marine par-
ticles follows Steffen & Gorin (1993). Cluster analysis of the
palynological data set has been carried out using PAST (PA-
leontological STatistics), a free software by Hammer, Harper
& Ryan (Hammer et al. 2001).
Palynofacies data
The palynofacies of the Furkaska section is dominated by ter-
restrial particles (Fig. 3). The marine fraction is very small and
mainly composed of the dinoflagellate cyst species Dapcodini-
um priscum (Fig. 4) and Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica; acritarchs
and prasinophytes are rare. Degraded organic matter (DOM) at-
tains percentages of up to 35 % of the palynofacies assemblage.
Amorphous organic matter (AOM) is only abundant in the low-
ermost part of the studied sedimentary series. The phytoclast
group is dominated by equidimensional opaque particles.
The sedimentary organic matter content of the samples
studied points to shallow marine conditions. The sporomorph
dominance within the palynomorph group indicates a close
proximity to fluvio-deltaic sources (cf. Tyson 1995: p. 448).
Due to the extremely small amount of marine components,
the ratio of terrestrial to marine particles is not very mean-
ingful with respect to sea-level changes within this interval.
The relatively high amount of degraded organic matter
points to a high-energy depositional system. In the lower
part of the Furkaska section, which belongs to the Rhaetian
Fatra Formation, the relative percentages of pollen grains
and spores are almost equal. From bed 408 spores become
more abundant and are dominant within the sporomorph as-
semblage of the lowermost Hettangian.
Palynomorph assemblage
In the Furkaska section of the Slovak Tatra Mountains pa-
lynomorphs are fairly well-preserved (Fig. 4) and show char-
acteristic changes within the Triassic/Jurassic boundary
interval. The lower part of the section is characterized by high
abundance of Ricciisporites tuberculatus (Fig. 5; sam-
ples 405, 406, 406/407, 407/408). The sudden increase in the
abundance of trilete spores (Fig. 3), the decrease in the abun-
dance of Ovalipollis spp., the last appearance of Alisporites
minimus and Corollina spp., and the first appearance of Con-
cavisporites rhaetoliassicus, Cyatidites australis, Cal-
lialasporites dampieri, Pinuspollenites minimus, Platysaccus
spp. and Zebrasporites fimbriatus are features for the subdivi-
sion of two palynomorph assemblages (Fig. 5). Cerebropolle-
nites thiergartii, a marker species for the base of the
Hettangian in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Kuerschner et al.
2007) was not identified.
The Rhaetian/Hettangian palynomorph assemblages of the
Furkaska section can be distinguished by means of multivariate
statistical analysis, which allows the quantification of similari-
ty/dissimilarity of a variety of samples that were examined ac-
cording to different attributes. A cluster analysis was performed
for the data set of 11 samples and 70 sporomorph species (vari-
ables). Sample 410 was excluded from cluster analysis due to
the small number of identifiable palynomorphs and their over-
all poor preservation. Fig. 6 shows the subdivision of the sam-
141
CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC BOUNDARY: PALYNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE (SLOVAKIA)
Fig. 1. Paleogeography of the NW Tethyan realm during Rhaetian times (modified from Michalík 1993). Circle marks the study area.
Fig. 2. Location map of the study area. Star marks the studied Furkaska section (49°16’N; 19°47’E) southeast of Oravice (Tatra Mts, Slovakia).
142
RUCKWIED and GÖTZ
Fig. 3.
Palynofacies
of
the
Triassi
c
/Jurassic
boundary
interval
of
the
Furkaska
section
(Tatra
Mts,
Slovakia).
The
sample
numbers
cor
respond
to
the
bed
numbers
by
Michalík
et
al.
(2007a).
The
sudden
increase
in
the
abundance
of
trilete
spores
in
bed
numbe
r
408
marks
the
Triassi
c
/Jurassic
boundary.
143
CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC BOUNDARY: PALYNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE (SLOVAKIA)
Fig. 4. Palynomorphs of the Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval of the Furkaska section (Tatra Mts, Slovakia). a – Trachysporites fuscus
(sample 408 + 3); b – Kraeuselisporites sp. (sample 406); c – Bisaccate pollen grain (sample 406/407); d – Punctatisporites sp. (sample
408); e – Dapcodinium priscum (sample 408 + 1); f – Corollina meyeriana (sample 406); g – Acanthotriletes varius (sample 408 + 1);
h – Verrucosisporites sp. (sample 408 + 4); i – Ricciisporites tuberculatus (sample 406); j – Todisporites minor (sample 408); k – Con-
baculatisporites mesozoicus (sample 408 + 4); l – Concavisporites crassexinus (sample 408).
ples into two clusters: the samples of the lower part of the sec-
tion studied (400/401 to 407/408) form one cluster whereas
the samples of the upper part (408 to 408 + 6) group into a sec-
ond cluster. It is necessary to point out, that the number of
samples must be considered very low for a multivariate analy-
sis. Regarding the minimum size of the sample population
there are no general rules except that the sample population
should be “large enough and representative” (Bortz 1999).
Though the results of the cluster analysis are based on a small
sample population their results are interpretable. Due to the
fact that the change within the assemblage is not isochronic
with the lithofacies change from limestone to clay but some
centimeters lower in the section, the microfloral change is sup-
posed to be independent of this lithologic change.
144
RUCKWIED and GÖTZ
Fig. 5.
Distribution
of
palynomorphs
within
the
Triassi
c
/Jurassic
bound
ary
interval
of
the
Furkaska
section
(Tatra
Mts,
Slovakia).
The
decrease
in
the
abundance
of
Ovalipollis
spp.,
the
last
ap-
pearance
of
Alisporites
minimus
and
Corollina
spp.,
and
the
first
appearance
of
Concavisporites
rhaetoliassicus
,
Cyatidites
australis
,
Callialasporites
dampieri
,
Pinuspollenites
minimus
,
Platysaccus
spp.
and
Zebrasporites
fimbriatus
are
striking
features
for
a
subdivision
of
two
palynomorph
ass
emblages.
145
CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC BOUNDARY: PALYNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE (SLOVAKIA)
Palynostratigraphy
Latest Triassic and Early Jurassic palynological assem-
blages are well documented by a number of studies in the
German and Danish parts of the Germanic Basin (e.g. Schulz
1967; Herngreen & De Boer 1974; Lund 1977, 2003; Guy-
Ohlson 1981; Brenner 1986) and the British Rhaetian-Het-
tangian (e.g. Orbell 1973; Warrington 1974; Hounslow et al.
2004). A compilation of the stratigraphically important
marker species identified by these authors and their zona-
tions is given in Fig. 7.
Lund (1977) divided the Rhaetian of the North Sea into a
Rhaetipollis-Limbosporites Zone and a Ricciisporites-Poly-
podiisporites Zone; the Hettangian is represented by the Pi-
nuspollenites-Trachysporites Zone. Orbell (1973) has
distinguished a Late Triassic Rhaetipollis Zone and an Early
Hettangian Heliosporites Zone in British sections. The latter is
characterized by an acme of Naiaditaspora spp. (Naiaditaspo-
ra harrisii is considered by Morbey (1975) as a junior syn-
onym of Porcellispora longdonensis) following the rapid
decline of palynomorphs characterizing the Rhaetipollis Zone
(Rhaetipollis germanicus and Ovalipollis pseudoalatus) and a
marked increase in the abundance of Heliosporites. Kuer-
schner et al. (2007) separate a Rhaetipollis-Porcellispora
Zone and a Trachysporites-Porcellispora Zone within the
Rhaetian of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The Hettangian is
defined by palynomorphs of the Trachysporites-Heliosporites
Zone. Kuerschner et al. (2007) suggested Cerebropollenites
thiergartii as a marker species for the base of the Hettangian.
Weiss (1989) divided the Rhaetoliassic of S Germany into a
Rhaetian Concavisporites-Duplexisporites problematicus-Ric-
ciisporites tuberculatus Zone and a Hettangian Concav-
Fig. 6. Hierarchical tree plot of the palynological data set of the
Furkaska section. The samples of the lower part of the section stud-
ied (400/401 to 407/408) form one cluster whereas the samples of
the upper part (408 to 408 + 6) group into a second cluster.
isporites-Duplexisporites problematicus Zone. Brenner
(1986) described sporomorph assemblages of SW Germany,
but did not define zones. Sediments of the Polish part of the
Germanic Basin were investigated by Orłowska-Zwolinska
(1983). She distinguished a Rhaetian Assemblage (Assem-
blage V) and a Hettangian Assemblage (Assemblage VI).
Fowell & Olsen (1993) worked on Triassic/Jurassic bound-
ary sections of the Newark Basin (Eastern North America),
while Ashraf et al. (1999) studied the Rhaetian Haojiagou
Formation and the Liassic Badaowan Formation of the Chi-
nese Junggar Basin.
Figure 7 shows the stratigraphical occurrence of the most im-
portant palynomorphs in the Furkaska section in comparison
with the previous works mentioned above. The sporomorph
assemblage of the Tatra Mountains is very similar to the as-
semblages of the Polish part of the Germanic Basin
(Orłowska-Zwolinska 1983) and to the assemblages of the
Austrian Kössen Beds of the Northern Calcareous Alps (e.g.
Kuerschner et al. 2007). The close paleogeographic relation of
these areas during Rhaetian and Hettangian times is the cause
of this resemblance.
In the Newark Supergroup of North America (Newark Ba-
sin) palynomorphs and conchostracans were used as biostrati-
graphic index fossils. Until a few years ago, the Triassic/
Jurassic boundary was drawn with the beginning of the high
increase of Corollina meyeriana (Cornet 1977) immediately
below the first basalt flow. Recently, Kozur & Weems (2005)
investigated the conchostracans and placed the boundary
within the so-called Newark igneous extrusive zone at the
base of the Bulbilimnadia sheni Zone. This position of the
boundary is confirmed by vertebrate findings and Lucas &
Tanner (2007) interpreted the sudden dominance of Corollina
meyeriana within the palynomorph assemblage as a result of
regional climate change caused by uplift or volcanism, not as
a biostratigraphical datum. Since biostratigraphical identifica-
tion of the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in the Newark Basin is
still under discussion, correlation with marine sections of sim-
ilar age in the Tethyan realm remains difficult.
Discussion
The most striking change in the microfloral assemblage of
the Furkaska section is the sudden increase in the abundance
of trilete spores within the last limestone bed of the upper-
most Rhaetian Fatra Formation (bed 408). Spores are pro-
duced by plants such as ferns and horsetails, which require
moist conditions to reproduce. Therefore, the relative abun-
dance of spores can serve as a proxy for humidity changes.
In the present study the spore spike is interpreted as an indi-
cation of increasing humidity at this time. Other significant
features are the decrease of Ricciisporites tuberculatus and
the LAD of Corollina spp. In contrast to other marine sec-
tions of the NW Tethyan realm, a prasinophyte bloom was
not detected in the Furkaska section.
Since the Triassic/Jurassic boundary marks one of the five
biggest biotic extinctions during the Phanerozoic, the lack of
mass extinction within the microfloral assemblages of the NW
Tethyan realm is surprising. However, a prasinophyte bloom
146
RUCKWIED and GÖTZ
recognized in sections of the Northern Calcareous Alps
(Tiefengraben; Kuerschner et al. 2007), Great Britain (St. Au-
drie’s Bay; Van de Schootbrugge et al. 2007) and the Trans-
danubian Range (Csővár; Ruckwied 2008; Götz et al.
submitted) in association with a prominent negative shift in
δ
13
C
org
values (Hesselbo 2002, 2004; Kuerschner et al. 2007;
Michalík et al. 2007a; Pálfy et al. 2007) points to a major per-
turbation in ocean chemistry.
The ultimate cause of these biotic and environmental
changes is still under discussion. Three main possible drivers
are considered: The first is the emplacement of a large igne-
ous province (the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province,
CAMP) that was associated with the initial break up of Pan-
gaea (Wilson 1997), the second is the possible impact of a
large meteorite (Olsen et al. 2002) similar in size (10 km in
diameter) to the one that is inferred to have impacted Earth
65 Ma ago at the K-Pg boundary. The third involves the sud-
den dissociation of large amounts of methane hydrate (Beer-
ling & Berner 2002).
Hesselbo et al. (2002) discussed a causal relation of the
negative
δ
13
C excursion and the initial volcanic activity of
the Pangaean Atlantic rifting and recently,
40
Ar/
39
Ar-datings
of plateau basalts in Morocco and Portugal (Nomade et al.
2007; Verati et al. 2007) confirmed the isochroneity of
CAMP volcanism and major changes in marine and terrestri-
al ecosystems at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. The palyno-
logical data of the present study support this hypothesis.
Phases of intense rifting and high volcanic activity are asso-
ciated with changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation
patterns, regionally resulting in increasing precipitation and/
or humidity, documented in the detected spore signal. Fur-
thermore, clay mineralogical analyses reveal a striking domi-
nance of kaolinite within the Boundary Clay of the Furkaska
section (Ruckwied et al. 2006; Michalík et al. 2007b) which
Fig. 7. Marker species of Triassic/Jurassic boundary sections of the NW Tethys region (Tatra Mountains, Northern Calcareous Alps), of
the Germanic Basin (North Sea, Germany, Poland), the Newark Basin (USA), and Junggar Basin (China).
147
CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC BOUNDARY: PALYNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE (SLOVAKIA)
is interpreted as a reflection of high chemical weathering in
the hinterland due to humid climate.
Nevertheless, the influence of any one of the three mecha-
nisms under discussion would not necessarily rule out the op-
eration of the others. Therefore, further studies should focus
on precise quantifications of the environmental effects that
took place across the Triassic/Jurassic boundary to identify
and understand the most likely cause of the global changes at
that time (Cohen & Coe 2007).
Conclusions
The palynological data presented here contribute to the dis-
cussion of the driving mechanism(s) of globally documented
changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems at the Triassic/
Jurassic boundary. Striking changes in the palynomorph as-
semblages of the Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval of the
Furkaska section (Tatra Mts, Slovakia) clearly reflect a major
climatic change during that period. The detected spore shift is
interpreted as evidence of a sudden increase in humidity most
probably caused by the volcanic activity of the Central Atlan-
tic Magmatic Province (CAMP).
Acknowledgments: This study is part of a project on microflo-
ral changes within the Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval of
key sections in the NW Tethyan realm supported by the Ger-
man Research Foundation (DFG Project GO 761/2-1). Joint
field work and fruitful discussions with Jozef Michalík and
Otília Lintnerová (Bratislava) are gratefully acknowledged. We
also thank Susanne Feist-Burkhardt (London) and Stephen Hes-
selbo (Oxford) for their very constructive reviews.
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149
CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC BOUNDARY: PALYNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE (SLOVAKIA)
Spores
Acanthotriletes varius Nilsson, 1958
Aratrisporites sp.
Aulisporites astigmosus
Klaus, 1960
Calamospora tener (Leschik, 1955) Mädler, 1964
Camerosporites pseudoverrucatus
Leschik, 1956
Carnisporites ornatus
Mädler, 1964
Carnisporites spiniger (Leschik, 1955) Morbey, 1975
Carnisporites telephorus
Pautsch, 1958
Conbaculatisporites mesozoicus Klaus, 1960
Concavisporites crassexinus Nilsson, 1958
Concavisporites rhaetoliassicus
Achilles, 1981
Concavisporites spp.
Cingulizonates rhaeticus (Reinhardt, 1961) Schulz, 1967
Converrucosisporites luebbenensis
Schulz, 1967
Cornutisporites seebergensis Schulz, 1967
Cycathidites australis Couper, 1953
Deltoidospora crassexina Lund, 1977
Deltoidospora spp.
Deltoidospora toralis (Leschik, 1955) Lund, 1977
Densosporites fissus (Reinhardt, 1964) Schulz, 1967
Kraeuselisporites spp.
Leiotriletes sp.
Leptolepidites reissringeri (Reinhardt, 1961) Achilles, 1981
Lycopodiacidites frankonense Achilles, 1981
Lycopodiacidites rugulatus
Schulz, 1967
Nevesisporites lubricus Orłowska-Zwolinska, 1983
Polypodiisporites polymicroferatus
Orłowska-Zwolinska, 1983
Porcellispora longdonensis (Clarke, 1965) Scheuring, 1970
Porcellispora sp.
Punctatisporites sp.
Semiretisporites gothae
Reinhardt, 1964
Stereisporites spp.
Taurucosporites spp.
Todisporites major Couper, 1958
Todisporites minor Couper, 1958
Todisporites spp.
Trachysporites fuscus Nilsson, 1958
Uvaesporites argentaeformis (Bolkovitina, 1953) Schulz, 1967
Verrucosisporites spp.
Zebrasporites fimbriatus Klaus, 1960
Pollen grains
Alisporites sp.
Alisporites minimus
Leschik, 1955
Alisporites robustus
Nilsson, 1958
Bisaccates sp.
Callialasporites dampieri (Balme, 1957) Dev, 1961
Corollina meyeriana (Klaus, 1960) Venkatachala & Góczán, 1964
Corollina torosa (Reissinger, 1950) Klaus, 1960
Cycadopites spp.
Eucomiidites spp.
Geopollis zwolinskae (Lund, 1977) Brenner, 1987
Granulooperculatopollis rudis Venkatachala & Gózcán, 1964
Lunatisporites rhaeticus Leschik, 1955
Lunatisporites spp.
Monosulcites spp.
Ovalipollis minimus
Scheuring, 1970
Ovalipollis ovalis (Krutzsch, 1955) Scheuring, 1970
Ovalipollis rarus
Klaus, 1960
Ovalipollis spp.
Paracirculina quadruplicis
Scheuring, 1970
Perinopollenites elatoides Couper, 1958
Pinuspollenites minimus (Couper, 1958) Kemp, 1970
Platysaccus spp.
Rhaetipollis germanicus Schulz, 1967
Ricciisporites tuberculatus Lundblad, 1964
Schizzosaccus keuperi Mädler, 1964
Triadispora spp.
Vitreisporites pallidus (Reissinger, 1950) Nilsson, 1958
Dinoflagellate cysts
Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica (Sarjeant, 1963) Loeblich & Loeblich,
1968, emend. Below, 1987
Dapcodinium priscum
Evitt, 1961, emend. Below, 1987
Acritarchs
Michrystridium spp.
Prasinophytes
Cymatiosphaera spp.
Tasmanites spp.
Appendix 1
Alphabetical list of palynomorphs identified in the Furkaska section.