Pliocene flora and paleoenvironment of Zanda Basin, Tibet, China

• 来源期刊: 中国科学:地球科学（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2020,（2）
• 页码范围: 212-223
• 页数: 12页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

This paper describes a plant megafossil assemblage from the Pliocene strata of Xiangzi,Zanda Basin in the western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Twenty-one species belonging to 12 genera and 10 families were identified.Studies show that the Pliocene vegetation in Zanda Basin was mostly deciduous shrub composed of Cotoneaster,Spiraea,Caragana,Hippophae,Rhododendron,Potentilla fruticosa,etc.Leaf sizes of these taxa were generally small.Paleoclimate reconstruction using Coexistence Analysis aad CLAMP showed that this area had higher temperature and precipitation in the Pliocene than today,and distinct seasonal precipitation variability was established.The reconstructed paleoelevation of Zanda Basin in the Pliocene was similar to modern times.In the context of central Asian aridification,the gradual drought in the area beginning in the late Cenozoic caused vegetation to transition from shrub to desert,and the flora composition also changed.