Paleocene Spread of Deciduous Hardwood Forest in North America and Asia: Megafossil and Palynological Correlations

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The Paleocene was an important interval in the evolution of modern families of angiosperms and in the rapid spread of deciduous dicotyledons in the Northern Hemisphere following the terminal Cretaceous event. This study will improve the systematic and stratigraphic resolution of key genera shared between the Paleocene of mid-latitude Asia and western North America. In cooperation with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, selected Paleocene floras in northwestern and northeastern China will be described with particular attention to leaf and pollen taxa that are shared with the Paleocene of North America. Stratigraphic sections in Wyoming that have already provided useful palynostratigraphic sequences will be recollected for leaves, fruits and flowers in order to link megafossils with the palynological zonation. Special attention will be given to families of the Hamamelidae that were undergoing evolutionary radiations through the Paleocene, including Juglandacea, Betulaceae, Ulmacea, and Platanaceae. In addition, attempts will be made to calibrate palynological and megafloral zones with land mammal stages and/or radiometrically dated units.