A Middle Miocene palynoflora from sinkhole deposits from Upper Silesia, Poland and its palaeoenvironmental context

The paper presents results of pollen analysis of lignite sediments filling one of the sinkholes developed within the Triassic limestone outcropped in Tarnów Opolski, Upper Silesia, SW Poland.Vertical changes in composition of sporomorph and algal assemblages of the sinkhole fill, clearly reflect a facies succession from open aquatic (pond)—with abundant fresh-water algae, to marshy one—with a considerable contribution of swamp forests, composed of Taxodium, Glyptostrobus, Nyssa and probably Alnus. The pond was surrounded by swamp–aquatic vegetation, composed of herbs, as well as riparian forests probably dominated by Carya and Pterocarya. Drier habitats were vegetated by mixed forests composed of Carpinus, Quercus, Fagus, Cercidiphyllum, Tilioideae and conifers, with an admixture of thermophilous taxa (such as Castanea, Engelhardia, Platycarya, Reevesia, and Symplocos). Results of the pollen analysis indicate that the climate was warm temperate and moderately wet.Composition of pollen spectra and frequencies of palaeotropical and arctotertiary elements point at a Middle Miocene age of the deposits.