Plants and the K-T Boundary [Hardcover]

A study of the fate of plants during the 'great extinction' 65 million years ago.This book describes the fate of land plants during the 'great extinction' about 65 million years ago and explains how fossil plants can be used to understand this global event. It will fascinate researchers and students in paleontology, botany, geology and Earth history, and anyone following the extinction debate.This book describes the fate of land plants during the 'great extinction' about 65 million years ago and explains how fossil plants can be used to understand this global event. It will fascinate researchers and students in paleontology, botany, geology and Earth history, and anyone following the extinction debate.In this text, two of the world's leading experts in palynology and paleobotany provide a comprehensive account of the fate of land plants during the 'great extinction' about 65 million years ago. They describe how the time boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene Periods (the KT boundary) is recognised in the geological record, and how fossil plants can be used to understand global events of that time. There are case studies from over 100 localities around the world, including North America, China, Russia and New Zealand. The book concludes with an evaluation of possible causes of the KT boundary event and its effects on floras of the past and present. This book is written for researchers and students in paleontology, botany, geology and Earth history, and everyone who has been following the course of the extinction debate and the KT boundary paradigm shift.Preface; Part I. Background: 1. Introduction; 2. Resolution of the KT boundary; 3. Using fossil plants to study the KT boundary; 4. Brief history of KT boundary paleobotany and palynology; 5. Overview of latest Cretaceous and early Paleocene vegetation; Part II. Regional Case Studies: 6. Williston Basin - the most complete KT sections known; 7. Other North American records; 8. Eurasia; 9. Remnants of Gonl3A