Repeated occurrence of palaeo-wildfires during deposition of the Bahariya Formation(early Cenomanian) of Egypt  

作　　者：Haytham El Atfy Tarek Anan Andre Jasper Dieter Uhl 

机构地区：[1]Department of Geology,Faculty of Science,Mansoura University,Mansoura 35516,Egypt [2]Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Ambiente e Desenvolvimento,PPGAD,Universidade do Vale do Taquari Univates,Lajeado,Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil [3]Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum,60325 Frankfurt am Main,Germany [4]Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment,Tubingen University,72076 Tubingen,Germany

出　　处：《Journal of Palaeogeography》2019年第4期332-345,共14页古地理学报（英文版）

基　　金：support by Coordenadoria de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-CAPES(A072/2013 and 8107-14-9);Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPq(444330/2014-3,305436/2015-5);Brazil and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation(3.4-8151/18 025),Germany

摘　　要：The Upper Cretaceous(early Cenomanian)Bahariya Formation of Egypt has an outstanding reputation for its wealth of vertebrate remains,including a variety of iconic dinosaurs,like the carnivorous Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus,as well as the herbivorous Aegyptosaurus and Paralititan.Besides these dinosaur fossils,the Bahariya Formation yielded also a wealth of invertebrate and plant remains,but even today many aspects concerning the continental palaeoenvironments reflected in these deposits(including the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires)have not been studied in detail.So far six distinct macro-charcoal bearing levels could be identified within the type section of the Bahariya Formation at Gabal El Dist profile,one of the most prolific outcrops of this formation in terms of fossil occurrence located in the north of the Bahariya Oasis,Western Desert,Egypt.Most of the charcoal investigated by means of SEM originates from ferns,pointing to a considerable proportion of this plant group within the palaeo-ecosystems that experienced fires.Gymnosperms and(putative)angiosperms have less frequently been identified.The collected data present evidence that the landscapes at the northern shores of Gondwana repeatedly experienced palaeo-wildfires,adding extra proof to previous statements that the Late Cretaceous was a fiery world on a global scale.The Upper Cretaceous(early Cenomanian) Bahariya Formation of Egypt has an outstanding reputation for its wealth of vertebrate remains, including a variety of iconic dinosaurs, like the carnivorous Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus, as well as the herbivorous Aegyptosaurus and Paralititan. Besides these dinosaur fossils, the Bahariya Formation yielded also a wealth of invertebrate and plant remains, but even today many aspects concerning the continental palaeoenvironments reflected in these deposits(including the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires) have not been studied in detail. So far six distinct macro-charcoal bearing levels could be identified within the type section of the Bahariya Formation at Gabal El Dist profile, one of the most prolific outcrops of this formation in terms of fossil occurrence located in the north of the Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Most of the charcoal investigated by means of SEM originates from ferns, pointing to a considerable proportion of this plant group within the palaeo-ecosystems that experienced fires. Gymnosperms and(putative) angiosperms have less frequently been identified. The collected data present evidence that the landscapes at the northern shores of Gondwana repeatedly experienced palaeo-wildfires,adding extra proof to previous statements that the Late Cretaceous was a fiery world on a global scale.

关 键 词：Bahariya Oasis Gabal El Dist Charcoal WILDFIRE Dinosaurs Upper Cretaceous Early Cenomanian EGYPT 

分 类 号：P53[天文地球—古生物学与地层学]