early Miocene paleolake Manuherikia: vegetation heterogeneity and warm-temperate to subtropical climate in southern New Zealand

The Manuherikia Group in southern New Zealand represents terrestrial sediments associated with a large paleolake, Lake Manuherikia, formed during a period of basin subsidence in the early Miocene, ca. 18.7–15.1 Ma. Micro- and macrofloral assemblages collected throughout the Manuherikia Group were st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of paleolimnology 2015-04, Vol.53 (4), p.349-365
Main Authors: Reichgelt, Tammo, Kennedy, Elizabeth M, Conran, John G, Mildenhall, Dallas C, Lee, Daphne E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
atmospheric precipitation
Bioclimatology
Climate
Climate Change
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Geological time
Geology
Heterogeneity
Lakes
latitude
Leaves
Miocene
Original Paper
Paleoclimate
paleoclimatology
Paleontology
Physical Geography
Seasonal variations
Sedimentology
sediments
Studies
subsidence
subtropics
summer
temperature
Vegetation
wind direction
winter
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Summary:The Manuherikia Group in southern New Zealand represents terrestrial sediments associated with a large paleolake, Lake Manuherikia, formed during a period of basin subsidence in the early Miocene, ca. 18.7–15.1 Ma. Micro- and macrofloral assemblages collected throughout the Manuherikia Group were studied to derive terrestrial climate proxies, relying on leaf physiognomy (CLAMP) and taxonomic affinity (bioclimatic analysis). The assemblages were also analyzed for the component loading of the relative abundances of different leaf morphotypes and the results were interpreted in light of stratigraphic and lateral ecological variation. Independent paleoclimate proxies from a variety of depositional environments consistently indicate warm-temperate to marginally subtropical mean annual temperatures (16.5–20 °C) and high annual precipitation (1,500–2,500 mm) during the Burdigalian–Langhian of mid-latitude New Zealand. Leaf physiognomy reveals an amplified seasonal contrast in both precipitation and temperature, possibly caused by seasonal shifts in the position of the subtropical high-pressure cells and westerly wind belts, causing overcast wet winters and dry summers. Regional and local vegetation variation was most likely caused by fluctuations in lake levels, which in turn may have been affected by enhanced seasonality from short-term climate oscillations.
ISSN:0921-2728
1573-0417
DOI:10.1007/s10933-015-9827-5