Further contribution to the early Miocene woody flora of Galatian Volcanic Province from Doganyurt Village, Ankara (Turkey)

Abstract

The Galatian Volcanic Province (GVP) located in central-north Anatolia had a rich woody flora. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to the early Miocene woody flora of the GVP from two fossil sites from Doganyurt Village of the city of Beypazari in the Province of Ankara. The fossil sites, which are near to each other, have small pieces of fossil woods. Total 16 fossil woods were collected from two neighbour sites. Three thin sections as transversal, tangential and radial sections from each sample were taken, and they were identified microscopically. As a result, ten fossil species were identified, three of which are new (Cercioxylon mediterraneum Akkemik, Iamandei & celik, sp. nov., Cryptocaryoxylon irregularis Akkemik, Iamandei & celik, sp. nov., and Myricoxylon doganyurtensis Akkemik, Iamandei & celik sp. nov.) and the rest fossil species (Glyptostroboxylon rudolphii Dolezych & van der Burgh, Taxodioxylon gypsaceum (Goppert) Krausel, Pinuxylon Gothan, Aceroxylon aceroides Akkemik, Pistacioxylon ufukii Akkemik, Salicoxylon galatianum Akkemik, and Ulmoxylon cf. carpinifolia Greguss) are found also in these two fossil sites. The fossil Myrica, identified for the first time in Turkey as a wood, has many leaf fossils from the early Miocene sites. The most common fossil trees in the Miocene time of GVP, which are G. rudolphii and T. gypsaceum, were also identified in these new sites. The fossil wood assemblage may indicate that the area had a subtropical climate in lowland, with riparian and swamp growth conditions.