International Geological Journal - Official Journal of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association

Miocene evolution of landscape and vegetation in the Central Paratethys

Published: Aug 2006

Pages: 295 - 310

Authors: ZLATKO KVACEK, MICHAL KOVAC, JOHANNA KOVAR-EDER, NELA DOLAKOVA, HENRIETTE JECHOREK, VALENTIN PARASHIV, MARIANNA KOVACOVA, LUBOMIR SLIVA

Abstract: The digital elevation model (DEM) helps to express Neogene landscapes and vegetation on palinspastic maps with reconstructed orography. To reconstruct ancient vegetation cover, basic zonal vegetation formations and their characteristics have been defined based on diversity and proportions of zonal woody evergreen, deciduous, sclerophyllous and legume-type elements, besides intrazonal (azonal, e.g. coal-forming, aquatic and riparian) and extrazonal (montane conifer-rich) vegetation. Three time intervals have been analysed — Karpatian to Early Badenian, Late Badenian to earliest Sarmatian and Early to Middle Pannonian. After evaluating respective local sites of leaf, fruit/seed and spore/pollen assemblages, paleogeobotanical maps have been constructed for the area of the Central Paratethys and its periphery.

Keywords: Miocene, Central Paratethys, paleogeography, palinspastic maps, digital elevation models, vegetation mapping

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