Early Holocene land floras and faunas from Edgeøya, eastern Svalbard |
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Authors: | OLE BENNIKE,LARS HEDENÄ S |
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Affiliation: | Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Thoravej 8, DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark;Department of Cryptogamic Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden. |
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Abstract: | Early Holocene, near-shore marine sediments from Visdalen, Edgeøya, eastern Svalbard contain locally abundant allochthonous remains of land plants, notably bryophytes. Wetland species indicative of mineral rich and calcareous soils are frequent, but upland plants are also well represented. The fossil assemblages are indicative of ecological and climatic conditions similar to those on Edgeøya today. The sediments contain one of the first fossil beetles reported from Svalbard. Apparently, the modern flora of Svalbard was already established in the earliest Holocene, probably following immigration from northern Europe. A few Armeria scabra remains are believed to be derived from interglacial deposits. |
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