Cenozoic plant macrofossil sites of Tasmania

Abstract

Tasmania has an outstanding Cenozoic plant fossil record, including several sites of international significance. This paper provides a compendium of macrofossil sites and associated literature. Macrofossils (leaves, fruit, flowers, wood) are known from 59 sites, ranging from Early Eocene to Late Pleistocene in age. Most are Palaeogene to early Neogene, or Pleistocene, with only one Late Neogene deposit. Most Palaeogene and early Neogene fossiliferous beds are directly overlain by or interbedded between basalt or other volcanic rocks, and others have indirect association with past volcanic activities. Furthermore, most sites are on or near the floors of major valley systems, whether associated with basalt or not. This association with a limited range of environments may cause some biases in the sampling of past regional floras. The dating of these sites is significant for our understanding of the ages of volcanism in Tasmania, and also suggests areas for further investigation.