Preliminary palynology of some antarctic tertiary erratics

Abstract

Moraine samples from Black Island, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, contain pollen and microplankton assemblages of probable Eocene age. The pollen floras indicate the presence of Nothofagus-dominant vegetation growing in a cool temperate climate at that time. The Black Island material is compared with a previous plant microfossil record from McMurdo Sound and with New Zealand Tertiary pollen floras, and its significance is discussed with regard to the climate, vegetation, and position of Antarctica during the Tertiary. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.