QUANTITATIVE PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THE EARLY MIOCENE MEGAFLORA OF JINGGU,YUNNAN
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Abstract:
The paleoclimate of the Early Miocene Jinggu megaflora in Yunnan was quantitatively reconstructed here by application of three techniques to its taxonomic and morphotype samples,i.e.Leaf Margin Analysis(LMA),Climate-Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program(CLAMP), and the Coexistence Approach(CA).Detailed comparisons of various methods for accuracy in paleoclimatic estimates on this fossil flora were also presented.Thus, comprehensive consideration and cross validation of the results indicate that the most probable paleoclimatic estimates are 16.0±1.3 ℃ for mean annual temperature(MAT),26.3±1.5 ℃ for warmest month mean temperature(WMMT),6.2±2.6 ℃ for the coldest month mean temperature(CMMT),8.6±0.7 months for the growing season(GRS),1 492±218 mm for growing season precipitation(GSP),701±139 mm for the precipitation during the three consecutive wettest months(3-WET)and 170±41 mm for the precipitation during the three consecutive driest months(3-DRY). The results represent a southern-central subtropical climate in Jinggu during the Early Miocene,which is favored by the existence of many tropical elements in this paleoflora. Furthermore, the seasonality in temperature and precipitation during the Early Miocene was not conspicuous enough, which implies that a weak monsoonal signal other than the strong monsoon climate regime possibly occurred at that time.
