Miocene palynomorph assemblages from Kiandra, New South Wales

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Abstract
Well-preserved pollen/spore assemblages from a sequence of freshwater sediments at Kiandra, in the Eastern Highlands of New South Wales, are correlated with part of the Proteacidites tuberculatus Zone in the Gippsland Basin (Early Miocene). This age is consistent with radiometric (K-Ar) dates on overlying basalts of 21.5-21.7 Ma. The microfossils comprise a diverse assemblage of spores, gymnosperms, and angiosperms, dominated by the angiosperm component, with high percentages of Nothofagidites spp. (up to 88%), mostly of the Nothofagus ‘brassii’ type. Most taxa are represented throughout the section except within a lignite horizon, which has a different and depauperate assemblage. Spinose acritarchs, the algae Pediastrum and Botryococcus, and fungal remains are found in some samples. The macrofossil flora at Kiandra lacks the diversity and many major taxa represented by microfossils. The Lauraceae are an exception, however; Lauraceae leaves are abundant although Lauraceae pollen is absent. The fossil flora as a whole indicates a moist, closed rainforest vegetation at Kiandra in the Early Miocene. Precipitation was probably higher than at present and more evenly distributed throughout the year, and temperatures were warmer.