Leaf assemblages across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Raton Basin, New Mexico and Colorado
Date
1987-08
Authors
Wolfe, Jack A.
Upchurch, Garland R.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Analyses of leaf megafossil and dispersed leaf cuticle assemblages indicate that major ecologic disruption and high rates of extinction occurred in plant communities at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Raton Basin. In diversity increase, the early Paleocene vegetational sequence mimics normal short-term etologic succession, but on a far longer time scale. No difference can be detected between latest Cretaceous and early Paleocene temperatures, but precipitation markedly increased at the boundary. Higher survival rate of deciduous versus evergreen taxa supports occurrence of a brief cold interval (‹1 year), as predicted in models of an "impact winter."
Description
Keywords
paleobotany, quasisuccession, extinction, impact winter, raton basin cretaceous, Biology
Citation
Wolfe, J. A., & Upchurch, G. R. (1987). Leaf assemblages across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Raton Basin, New Mexico and Colorado. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 84(15), pp. 5096-5100.