GIS-based preliminary map
Palynological results
Material and methods
The investigated samples at the Austrian side origi
nate from three boreholes (1, 2, 4) in the middle Upper Pannonian lignite sequence from Höll—Deutsch- Schützen— Bildein at the Austrian side and from two boreholes (nr. 71 and 76) in the same sequence near Torony (Hungary). The microflora occurred fairly fre
quently and was well preserved in some layers. So the investigation in LM and SEM provided more information about its position in the botanical system.
After examiniation of pollen grains under the light microscope selected specimens were transferred to a SEM stub according the method of Zetter(1989).
Spore and pollen taxa from the middle Upper Pannonian lignite deposit
Huperzia selago (Selagosporis selagoides Krutzsch1963)
Tsuga sp. (5 formspecies in Torony) Taxodiaceae, Cupressaceae
Valerianaceae Patrinia sp.
Valeriana sp.
Dipsacaceae Succisa sp.
Scabiosa sp.
Tiliaceae
Tilia sp. [Intratriporopollenites cordataeformis (Wolff 1934) Mai 1961]
Craigia sp. [Intratriporopollenites instructus (Potonié 1931) Thomson & Pflug 1953]
Sterculiaceae Reevesia sp.
Buxaceae
Buxus sp.
Oleaceae
Fraxinus sp.
Ligustrum sp.
?Asclepidiaceae, Periplocoideae Convolvulaceae
Calystegia sp.
Lamiaceae
Phlomis sp.
Asteraceae
Asteroideae (6 genera) Cichorioideae
Artemisia sp.
Ericaceae Erica sp.
Rhododendron sp.
Caryophyllaceae
Caryophyllaceae (3 genera) Chenopodiaceae
Chenopodiaceae (4 genera) Iteaceae
Itea sp.
Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae Ebenaceae
Diospyros sp.
Polygonaceae
Polygonum sp.
H öll-D eu tsch -S ch ü tzen 2
Fig. 4. Pollen diagram of borehole 50
Urticaceae
Urticaceae Ulmaceae
Celtis sp.
Ulmus sp.
Zelkova sp.
Betulaceae Alnus sp.
Betula sp.
Caroinus sp.
CoryIus sp.
Fagaceae
Trigonobalanopsis sp. [Castaneoiideaepopllis pusillus (Potonié 1934) Grabowska 1994]
Castanea sp.
Fagus sp.
Quercus sp. (6 species) Juglandaceae
Ca/ya sp.
Engelhardia sp.
Jug!ans sp.
Pterocarya sp.
Myricaceae Myrica sp.
Salicaceae Salix sp.
Alismataceae Alisma sp.
Hydrocharitaceae Stratiotes sp.
Potamogetonaceae Potamogeton sp.
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae Poaceae
Poaceae (5 genera) Sparganiaceae
Sparganium sp.
Typhaceae Typha sp.
Palmae
Saba/ sp.
51
F ig . 5 . P o lle n d i a g r a m o f b o r e h o le
Discussion
Palaeovegetation represented by the pollen and spore assemblage
The following plant communities could be recon
structed.
There are planctonic organisms which originate from freshwater: Spirogyra, Mougeotia, Cooksonella, Bottyo- coccus. Dinoflagellates are extremely rare. They are not present in the Austrian part but a few specimens occur in the Hungarian part of the investigated area.
The floral elements could be grouped in the follow
ing categories of vegetation:
1. Open freshwater with freshwater plankton (Mo- nogemmites, Spirogyra, Zygnemataceae, Botryococcus) and fresh water plants like Myriophyllum (two species), Trapa sp., Potamogeton, Nymphea, Nuphar, Nelumbo, Alisma, Stratiotes.
2. Lakeshore vegetation with Typha, Sparganium, perhaps Phragmites, Cyperaceaeae.
3. Sandbanks and salty soil with Chenopodiaceae and Ephedra.
4. Tree-dominated bog environment:
A swamp-forest is documented by Taxodiaceae, Nyssa, Decodon, Vitaceae, Fraxinus and probably with Rhododendron, Palmae and Osmunda species in the undergrowth.
A riparian forest could be distinguished by Alnus, Carya, Betula, Salix, Ilex, Quercus, Liquidambar.
5. Swampy meadows with Succisa, Polygonum, Apiaceae, Valerianaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Poaceae.
6. “Mixed mesophytic forest" behind the peat form
ing vegetation with Pine species, Ginkgo, Picea, Abies, Sciadopitys, Quercus, Fagus, Tilia, Craigia, Reveesia, Lonicera, Viburnum, Eucommia, Engelhardtia, Acer, Fa- gaceae, Elaeagnus, Rutaceae, Buxus, Carpinus, Erica.
7. Hillside-piedmont forest with conifers, Pinus, Abies, Picea, Tsuga, Larix, Cédrus, Keteleeria.
5 2
T o r o n y 71 ( m o r e im p o r t a n t ta x a )
Palaeoclimatic character of the flora
From the flora it could be concluded that the climatic conditions were warmer than today.
Subtropical elements like Reevesia (Sterculiaceae), Sabal and Engelhardia perhaps could survive locally in the undergrowth of the swamp forest. These elements are present in the middle Upper Pannonian sequence but are much more dominating in the warm periods of the earlier older Miocene periods. Engelhardia is very rare and also the other palaeotropical floral elements like Mastixioi- deae, Sapotaceae and Reevesia are retreating in the middle Upper Pannonian from zone D/E to F remarkably.
It should be mentioned that the characteristic element Tricolporopollenites sibiricum (Lubomirov 1972) Nagy
1992 (Tricolporopollenites wackersdorfensis Thiele -Pfeiffer1980) Fabaceae are therefore not present in this lignite sequence. This element disappeared in this region in the Zone E of the Pannonian.
Reevesia and Engelhardia live today in the zone with high humidity only in the Himalaya and other regions of southeast Asia.
A climatic cooling within the middle Late Pannonian
could be proved by the increase of coniferes {Abies, Picea, Pine species, Tsuga species) in the pollen spectra of the lignite sequence in the Hungarian and Austrian part (Fig. 4, 5).
Gramineae, Compositae, Chenopodiaceae, Acer, Ainus, Betula, Carya, Pterocarya, Ulmus, Pinus, Abies, Picea, Sciadopitys and Tsuga became important or even dominant.
Sciadopitys and Cathaya are extremely endemic to
day and therefore it is not relevant to transfer the present day climatic conditions directly to the fossil occurrence.
There are also warm temperate plant elements like Liquidambar, Carya, Pterocarya, Buxus, Rhus, Ostrya, Ilex present.
The most numerous are temperate plants (e.g.
Fagus, Ulmus, Quercus, Tilia). Alnus is a typical azonal element.
The expansion of the decidous hardwood forest, typical for Late Pannonian is clearly visible by the high number of Quercus species in the upper part of the lignite sequence, which were distinguished by SEM (obviously deciduous)
In the pollen spectra of the Upper Pannonian lignite
5 3
sequence there is also a remarkable tendency of in
creasing number of non-arboretic pollen-types from herbs like Chenopodiaceae Asteraceae, Succisa, Scabiosa, Valeriana, Patrinia, Apiaceae, Caryophyllaceae,
Ru-biaceae, Lamiaceae etc. This seems to be an indication of larger non-forested areas probably locally caused by the retreat of the sea and (or an effect by the cooling) the development of non forested peat and reed meadows.
Acknowledgements drawing the diagrams (all of them Geol. Survey, Vienna).
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Gratzer, R. 1985: Vergleichende Untersuchungen an Metabasiten im Raum Hannersdorf, Burgenland. — Sitz. Bér. Österr. Akad. Wiss., mathem.-naturwiss.
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Herrmann P.(1992): Bericht 1991 über geologische Aufnahmen im Tertiär und Quartär auf Blatt 168 Eberau. — Geol. B.-A., Wien.
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let. (The brown coal area in western Vas county.) — Földtani Kutatás, 2-3, 24-28, Budapest.
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kohle, Jg. 1975, H. 10, 307-314, Düsseldorf. Untersuchungen auf den Blättern 136 Hartberg, 137 Oberwart, 138 Rechnitz, 167 Güssing, 168 Eberau, 192 Feldbach und 193 Jennersdorf. — Jb. Geol. B.- A., 126, (2), S. 340, Wien.
Kollmann, W. 1987: Geologische Untersuchungen zur Beurteilung der Wasserhöffigkeit im südlichen Burgenland; Abschlußbericht 1978-1984. — Wiss.
Arb. Burgenland, 76, 67 S., zahlr. Tab. und Abb., barnakőszén palynologiai vizsgálata. — Palynolo
gische Untersuchungen der am Fusse des Matra-
Palaeontologica, Fase. 53, 1-379, Budapest.
Nebert, K. 1977: Die Ergebnisse der kohlengeologischen Untersuchungen im Neogengebiet zwischen der Schieferinsel von Rechnitz und jener von Eisenberg.
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Nebert, K. et. al. 1980: Zur Geologie der neogenen Lignitvorkommen entlang des Nordostspornes der Zentralalpen (Mittelburgenland). — Jb. Geol. B.-A., 123, Wien. Bau und tektonische Stellung des österreichischen Anteiles der Eisenberggruppe im südlichen Burgenland. — Unveröff. Diss. Phil. Fak. Univ.
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1:5-30, Krakow.
55
PLATE 1
Fig. 1-3: Fig. 1 Lycopodium sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 2 Lycopodium sp.; 1500 x SEM.
Fig. 3 Lycopodium sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 8500 x SEM.
Fig. 4-6: Fig. 4 Huperzia sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 5 Huperzia sp.; 1200 x SEM.
Fig. 6 Huperzia sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 9500 x SEM.
Fig. 7-9: Fig. 7 Sciadopitys sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 8 Sciadopitys sp.; 1400 x SEM.
Fig. 9 Sciadopitys sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 6000 x SEM.
Fig. 10-13: Fig. 10 Tsuga sp.; 600 x LM.
Fig. 11 Tsuga sp.; 700 x SEM.
Fig. 12 Tsuga sp.; Detail of the exine surface of the corpus; 7000 x SEM.
Fig. 13 Tsuga sp.; Detail of the exine surface of the saccus; 8000 x SEM.
Fig. 14-16: Fig. 14 Cathaya sp.; 800 x LM.
Fig. 15 Cathaya sp.; 900 x SEM.
Fig. 16 Cathaya sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 7000 x SEM.
56
57
PLATE 2
Fig. 1-3: Fig. 1 Arecaceae; 850 x LM.
Fig. 2 Arecaceae; 1600 x SEM.
Fig. 3 Arecaceae; Detail of the exine surface; 8000 x SEM.
Fig. 4-6: Fig. 4 Typha sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 5 Typha sp.; 1800 x SEM.
Fig. 6 Typha sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 8000 x SEM.
Fig. 7-9: Fig. 7 Patrinia sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 8 Patrinia sp.; 1500 x SEM.
Fig. 9 Patrinia sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 6000 x SEM.
Fig. 10-12: Fig. 10 Phlomis sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 11 Phlomis sp.; 2000 x SEM.
Fig. 12 Phlomis sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 14000 x SEM.
Fig. 13-15: Fig. 13 Poaceae; 850 x LM.
Fig. 14 Poaceae; 2200 x SEM.
Fig. 15 Poaceae; Detail of the exine surface; 13000 x SEM.
58
59
PLATE 3
Fig. 1-3: Fig. 1 Trapa sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 2 Trapa sp.; 850 x SEM.
Fig. 3 Trapa sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 6000 x SEM.
Fig. 4-6: Fig. 4 Polygonum sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 5 Polygonum sp.; 1000 x SEM.
Fig. 6 Polygonum sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 6000 x SEM.
Fig. 7-9: Fig. 7 Myriophyllum sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 8 Myriophyllum sp.; 1900 x SEM.
Fig. 9 Myriophyllum sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM.
Fig. 10-12: Fig. 10 Apiaceae - Gen. 1; 850 x LM.
Fig. 11 Apiaceae - Gen. 1; 4000 x SEM.
Fig. 12 Apiaceae - Gen. 1; Detail of the exine surface; 8000 x SEM.
Fig. 13-15: Fig. 13 Apiaceae - Gen. 2; 850 x LM.
Fig. 14 Apiaceae - Gen. 2; 4000 x SEM.
Fig. 15 Apiaceae - Gen. 2; Detail of the exine surface; 12000 x SEM.
60
61
PLATE 4
Fig. 1-3: Fig. 1 Acer sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 2 Acer sp.; 3000 x SEM.
Fig. 3 Acer sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 10000 x SEM.
Fig. 4-6: Fig. 4 Rosaceae - Gen. 1; 850 x LM.
Fig. 5 Rosaceae - Gen. 1; 2700 x SEM.
Fig. 6 Rosaceae - Gen. 1; Detail of the exine surface; 7000 x SEM.
Fig. 7-9: Fig. 7 Rosaceae - Gen. 2; 850 x LM.
Fig. 8 Rosaceae - Gen. 2; 4000 x SEM.
Fig. 9 Rosaceae - Gen. 2; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM
Fig. 10-12: Fig. 10 Cichorioideae; 850 x LM.
Fig. 11 Cichorioideae; 1200 x SEM.
Fig. 12 Cichorioideae; Detail of the exine surface; 6000 x SEM.
Fig. 13-15: Fig. 13 Dipsaceae; 850 x LM.
Fig. 14 Dipsaceae; 900 x SEM.
Fig. 15 Dipsaceae; Detail of the exine surface; 8000 x SEM.
62
6 3
PLATE 5
Fig. 1-3: Fig. 1 Quercus sp. 1; 850 x LM.
Fig. 2 Quercus sp. 1; 2000 x SEM.
Fig. 3 Quercus sp. 1; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM
Fig. 4-6: Fig. 4 Quercus sp. 2; 850 x LM.
Fig. 5 Quercus sp. 2; 2000 x SEM.
Fig. 6 Quercus sp. 2; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM.
Fig. 7-9: Fig. 7 Quercus sp. 3; 850 x LM.
Fig. 8 Quercus sp. 3; 2500 x SEM.
Fig. 9 Quercus sp. 3; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM.
Fig. 10-12: Fig. 10 Quercus sp. 4; 850 x LM.
Fig. 11 Quercus sp. 4; 1200 x SEM.
Fig. 12 Quercus sp. 4; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM.
Fig. 13-15: Fig. 13 Quercus sp. 5; 850 x LM.
Fig. 14 Quercus sp. 5; 2200 x SEM.
Fig. 15 Quercus sp. 5; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM.
6 4
6 5
PLATE 6
Fig. 1-3: Fig. 1 Tilia sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 2 Tilia sp.; 1000 x SEM.
Fig. 3 Tilia sp.; Detail of the exine surface; 10000 x SEM.
Fig. 4-6: Fig. 4 Juglans sp.; 850 x LM.
Fig. 5 Juglans sp.; 1400 x SEM.
Fig. 6 Juglans sp.; Detail of the exine surface; HOOOxSEM.
Fig. 7-9: Fig. 7 Onagraceae; 850 x LM.
Fig. 8 Onagraceae; 1700 x SEM.
Fig. 9 Onagraceae; Detail of the exine surface; 12500 x SEM.
Fig. 10-12: Fig. 10 Chenopodiaceae - Gen. 1; 850 x LM.
Fig. 11 Chenopodiaceae - Gen. 1; 2500 x SEM.
Fig. 12 Chenopodiaceae - Gen. 1; Detail of the exine surface; 12000 x SEM.
Fig. 13-15: Fig. 13 Chenopodiaceae - Gen. 2; 850 x LM.
Fig. 14 Chenopodiaceae - Gen. 2; 3000 x SEM.
Fig. 15 Chenopodiaceae - Gen. 2; Detail of the exine surface; 11000 x SEM.
66
6 7