A diverse assemblage of fossil hardwood from the Upper Tertiary (Miocene?) of the Arauco Peninsula, Chile

Published Date
Journal of South American Earth Sciences
September 2004, Vol.17(1):59–71, doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2004.05.007

Author 

• Meike Schöning ^a,,,
 
• Klaus Bandel ^b,1,

• aMineralogisch-Petrographisches Institut, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 48, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
• bGeologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

Available online 15 September 2004.

Abstract

Silicified woods of 10 dicotyledonous tree families of probably Miocene age from the Arauco Peninsula, central Chile are described and classified according to their anatomy. The diversity is surprisingly high, in that of the 19 samples analyzed, virtually every one could belong to a different species of tree or shrub. Almost all species document a damp climate, and most have related species living in the central zone of modern Chile. The samples were collected in a narrow zone on Punta El Fraile, west of the town of Arauco. The following families are based on woods from the Arauco Peninsula: Anacardiaceae, Boraginaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Leguminosae, Monimiaceae, the first report of fossil Myristicaceae, Myrtaceae, and Proteaceae. Their diagenetic history is connected to tuffaceous material and calcareous concretions.

Keywords

Angiosperms

Arauco Peninsula

Chile

Fossil wood

Miocene

Wood anatomy

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