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Fossil plants from the Viséan of East Kirkton, West Lothian, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

A. C. Scott ,
R. Brown ,
J. Galtier  and
B. Meyer-Berthaud
A. C. Scott
Affiliation:
Departments of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, U.K.
R. Brown
Affiliation:
Departments of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, U.K. Biology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, U.K. Laboratoire de Paléobotanique, Université de Montpellier II, 34095, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
J. Galtier
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléobotanique, Université de Montpellier II, 34095, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
B. Meyer-Berthaud
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléobotanique, Université de Montpellier II, 34095, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
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Abstract

Plant fossils are a common and important element in the East Kirkton biota of Brigantian (late Viséan age). The most important taxa are preserved as compressions or anatomically preserved as permineralisations. The basis of the quantitative study of the flora and the distribution of individual plant species was the trenched section excavated for the East Kirkton Project. The largest diversity of compressions have been recorded from loose blocks. In the trenched section, the uppermost ashes contain only lycopsid compressions including Stigmaria. Nodules in the underlying shales yield mainly lycopsid leaf and sporophyll compressions. The uppermost limestones (Units 39-52) contain drifted fragments of pteridosperm fronds mainly Sphenopteridium crassum, S. pachyrrhachis, Spathulopteris obovata and Adiantites antiquus. Permineralised Lyginorachis spp. occur at this level. Large permineralised woody gymnosperm axes have been found loose (including Pitus, 50 cm in diameter). Permineralised axes, mainly reworked, including the gymnosperms Bilignea, Eristophyton, Stanwoodia and possibly Protopitys, have been found in Units 72-88. Poorly preserved permineralised lycopsids are rare, but include Lepidophloios. Loose chert blocks contain root mats of permineralised Stigmaria, together with Lepidocarpon, the sphenopsid Archaeocalamites and the fern Botryopteris. Similar material is found in Unit 83 of the Limestone sequence. Unit 82, the black shale containing many of the articulated vertebrates, contains predominantly pteridosperm frond and pinnule material including Spathulopteris obovata. The distinctive changes in the flora from the base to the top of the trenched sequence reflect mainly ecological and taphonomic controls upon plant distribution and preservation. Evidence suggests a close relationship between climate, fire, erosion, deposition and vegetation type through the sequence and a climatic change, from a drier to a wetter environment, is suggested at the top of the East Kirkton Limestone sequence.

Keywords

Fossil plantsViséanEast KirktonScotlandpreservationdistributionreview
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 84 , Issue 3-4: Volcanism and early terrestrial biotas , 1993 , pp. 249 - 260
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1993

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