The Paleontological Society of Washington
February 19, 2020
Q?rius Theater
National Museum of Natural History, Constitution Ave.
Eocene to Miocene floral and climate evolution of southeastern Australia
Vera Korasidis, Dept. of Paleobiology, NMNH.
The brown coals of the Latrobe Group, Gippsland Basin, Australia, record an exceptional terrestrial floral, climate and fire record from the Eocene to Miocene. Detailed palynological analyses reveal that the peatland floras transitioned from subtropical to cool-temperate forest through the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition. The facies preserved in the coals also demonstrates that the development of lightening-upwards lithotype cycles, observed in brown coals globally, is controlled by the peat-forming paleoenvironment and associated hydrological regime.
Non-Smithsonian visitors will be escorted from the Constitution Ave. entrance of the NMNH to the Q?rius at 6:50 and 6:55 p.m. Society members will host the speaker for dinner at the Elephant & Castle (1201 Pennsylvania Ave.) prior to the meeting. Members are invited to meet at the restaurant or inside the Constitution Ave. entrance of the NMNH at 4:55.
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