Fossil woods

Abstract

Fossil woods have been recovered from Noiti to the south of the main Laetoli area and are of Lower Laetolil Bed age. Preservation is generally poor because of recrystalization but a variety of taxa have been tentatively identified. Where there is some uncertainty about the identification several possibilities have been given. The fossil woods are from the families Araliaceae, Buddlejiaceae, Caesalpinoideae, Celastraceae, Combretaceae, Dichapetalaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Meliaceae, Mimosoideae, Myrtaceae, Ochnaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae and Verbenaceae. The flora represents woods from high to low altitudes that grew on the slopes of the volcano and were preserved in a lahar. A variety of soils and vegetation associations are implied from forest, evergreen woodland, dry woodland, bushland, riverine and wooded grassland, in a megathermal environment. Both taxonomic affinities and the vulnerability indices (non-taxonomic) of the woods are used to infer the paleoenvironment.