PLANT MICROFOSSILS FROM TERTIARY DEPOSITS OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT

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Abstract
Summary: Pollen and spores have been examined from deposits of presumed Oligocene age occurring in the northern half of the Isle of Wight (southern England). A brief review of the geology and method of investigation is given. The plant microfossils identified are listed and it is shown that they represent a predominantly subtropical swamp vegetation comparable with the more calcareous areas of modern south‐east U.S.A., with an additional strong affinity to the modern swamp and more dry ground flora of subtropical/warm temperate south‐east Asia. In the highest beds investigated an increase in more temperate genera, qualitatively and quantitatively, is found. Comparisons are made with southern English Tertiary macrofossil floras, especially the Bembridge flora. It is shown that some separation within this series of beds can be made on the basis of pollen and spore assemblages and that it is possible to correlate one of these assemblage changes, namely that between the top of the Bembridge Beds and the base of the Hamstead Beds, with a boundary denned on pollen/spore change in the German Tertiary.