Cretaceous climatic reconstruction from Argentina based on palynological data

MERCEDES, PRAMPARO; BARBARA, VENTO; NARVAEZ, PAULA; MEGO, NATALIA; PUEBLA, GRISELDA

BOLETIN GEOLOGICO Y MINERO

Instituto Geologico y Minero de Espana

Lugar: Madrid; Año: 2018 p. 615 - 631

0366-0176

Paleoclimatic reconstructions have used different proxies as climate indicators. In this context, palynomorphs play a crucial role for making inferences about past climate changes because of their presence and distribution during the geologic history in almost all type of environments. Argentina has a wide latitudinal range in South America, with diverse cretaceous units yielding palynomorphs that represent different climatic conditions. Cretaceous was a time when climatic conditions showed some special variations. Different theories about the climatic conditions at this time were postulated. The main aim of this contribution is to understand climatic trends during the Cretaceous, based on the quantitative analysis of selected pollen and spores, considered as climate indicators, from different geological units in Argentina. The evaluation of the palynofloras has been undertaken mainly by reviewing published sources from cretaceous basins but also with our own unpublished data. The climatic trend during the Cretaceous showed that the Early Cretaceous is marked by aridity episodes with high values of Classopollis and Gnetales. In contrast, the Late Cretaceous showed warm and more humid conditions indicated by increasing values of free-sporing plants (especially Bryophytes and ferns) and palm pollen grains, and the decrease until absence of the aridity indicators.