Abstract

TRONCOSO, Alejandro  and  ENCINAS, Alfonso. The fossil flora from Cerro Centinela (Chile, VI Region): vegetation and climate in central chile at the end of Miocene-beginning of the Pliocene. Ameghiniana [online]. 2006, vol.43, n.1, pp.171-180. ISSN 1851-8044.

In this article, the composition of the taphoflora from cerro Centinela, central Chile, is analyzed. This fossil flora is included in sediments of the lower member of the Navidad Formation, which is assigned to Late Miocene-Early Pliocene. This was achieved on the basis of available data about modern related species, adding some information from the fossils themselves. A taphonomic mixture, including elements collected in different aleocommunities, is postulated. The analysis of the different possible scenarios, in this situation, is contrasted against sedimentological information to conclude that these paleocommunities were spatially separated in a broad area, which could be extended from as far as the volcanic centers, in the east, to the seashore in the west. Furthermore, the analysis suggests a more humid and warmer climate than the actual one in the region.

Keywords : Fossil leaves; Central Chile; Late Miocene-Early Pliocene; Paleoecology.