A palaeoecological model for a vegetated early Westphalian intramontane valley (Intra-Sudetic Basin, Czech Republic)

The study involves a palaeoecological model for both the coals and associated sediments of the Lampertice Member of the Žacléř Formation in the Intra-Sudetic Basin, Czech Republic is proposed. The study area was an intramontane valley drained by a braided to low-sinuosity meandering river with a well developed floodplain. The river probably flowed to the northeast. Taphonomic analysis of the fossil record of various lithologies revealed the existence of autochthonous, parautochthonous-autochthonous and allochthonous plant associations. These associations served as the basis for the restoration of the original phytocoenoses colonizing different areas of the valley: (1) channel banks dominated by pteridosperms with subdominant calamiteans and ferns: (2) clastic floodplains colonised either by pteridosperms, ferns and calamiteans in well-drained areas or by arborescent lycopsids and ferns in poorly-drained areas: (3) mire (peat-forming) forests composed of arborescent lycopsids, ferns and sphenophylls: and (4) valley margin and slopes dominated by cordaiteans and pteridosperms.