Charcoal in the Early Devonian: A wildfire-derived Konservat-Lagerstaette

Anatomically preserved Earliest Devonian plant mesofossils from a stream section in the Welsh Borderland are quantitatively demonstrated to be charcoal, and are the pyrolysis products of ancient wildfires. These wildfire events preserved a diversity of plants and a level of anatomical detail that is...

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Published inReview of palaeobotany and palynology Vol. 142; no. 3-4; pp. 131 - 136
Main Authors Glasspool, I J, Edwards, D, Axe, L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.12.2006
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Summary:Anatomically preserved Earliest Devonian plant mesofossils from a stream section in the Welsh Borderland are quantitatively demonstrated to be charcoal, and are the pyrolysis products of ancient wildfires. These wildfire events preserved a diversity of plants and a level of anatomical detail that is unrivalled by other Lochkovian localities, and as a result have provided important insights into the early evolution of land plants. This diverse assemblage, which displays exceptional preservation of volatile non-mineralised tissues, is an example of instantaneous fossilization and the locality is proposed as a Konservat-Lagerstaette. It is the first record of a wildfire- derived Lagerstaette and as such, expands the diversity of recognized conservation traps.
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ISSN:0034-6667
DOI:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2006.03.021