Séverine Fauquette

ISEM, UMR CNRS Université de Montpellier

New insights into the geodynamic evolution, the paleogeographic framework and the paleoclimatic setting of the Upper Eocene-Oligocene lacustrine basins from South-East France have been provided by an integrative approach combining geochronology, micropaleontology and stable isotope analyses. Usingle bondPb dating on calcite, pollen-based climatostr...

Parrotia persica is one of the most notable endemic relict tree species growing in the Hyrcanian forest at the southern Caspian Sea. The recent discovery of sibling species Parrotia subaequalis, occurring in the temperate forests of south-eastern China, offers the opportunity to compare their morphology and ecological preferences and to dig deeper...

A palynological assemblage including the extinct araucarian dispersed pollen, Cyclusphaera scabrata, was analysed from the Achiri locality, Bolivian Altiplano. The fossil-yielding locality of Achiri is located in the Pacajes Province, La Paz Department, in the northwestern Altiplano, Bolivia. The Achiri locality is very well known by the fossil ver...

The Maghreb’s Mediterranean coastal edge is home to many peatlands with boreal floristic affinities and high conservation value. This work aims at investigating the Holocene developmental history of these wetlands in Northern Morocco, based on pollen record, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon dating. First, the comparison between modern pollen spectr...

A palynological assemblage including the extinct araucarian dispersed pollen, Cyclusphaera scabrata, was analysed from the Achiri locality, Bolivian Altiplano. The fossil-yielding locality of Achiri is located in the Pacajes Province, La Paz Department, in the northwestern Altiplano, Bolivia. The Achiri locality is very well known by the fossil ver...

Aim Past pollen records reveal the changes in latitudinal distribution of plants in relation to climate, particularly their expansion in response to global warming. The maximum northward expansion of the mangrove genus Avicennia since the Early Eocene is known, but this information is missing for other mangrove taxa. Here, we evaluate the diversity...

The French Massif Central is a key basement relief. This region experienced an intense period of alkaline volcanism, beginning with the Cantal Stratovolcano at 11 Ma and ending at 3 Ma. To quantify the palaeoelevation of the Cantal Stratovolcano and to replace it in the frame of the uplift history of the Massif Central, we first reconstructed the v...

Sedimentological, micropaleontological and geochemical studies of IODP Leg 302 boreholes, M0004A and M0002A, drilled on the Lomonosov Ridge near the North pole, are reported to construct chronostratigraphy and helped unravel Paleogene palaeoclimatic. These studies concluded to a mean annual temperature of sea surface waters ranging between 21 and 2...

High-resolution pollen analyses were performed on two cores from the western Black Sea and one core from the Marmara Sea, covering the Late Glacial-Holocene transition using 14C chronology. Particular effort was invested in the botanical identification of pollen grains thereby significantly improving our knowledge of regional flora. When interprete...

During the late Miocene, the Andean–Amazonian region experienced drastic climatic and environmental changes, notably due to a major phase in the Andean uplift. The fossil record is virtually undocumented for this period in the Subandean Zone, where very few palaeoenvironmental and palaeontological investigations have been undertaken. Here, we descr...

Bernasso is an Early Pleistocene locality that has a well-dated floral fossil content including both pollen grains and megaremains. Pollen record shows vegetation changes corresponding to two glacial and one interglacial periods. The megafloral fossil assemblage was interpreted as an association of present-day Mediterranean and Caucasian taxa that...

During the Paleocene–Eocene, the Earth experienced the warmest conditions of the Cenozoic and reduced equator-to-pole temperature gradients. Compared to low- and mid-latitude sites, Paleogene environmental changes are less documented in Arctic regions, although such high latitude areas constitute a critical domain to constrain global climate change...

The early Eocene (ca. 56-47.8 Ma) was an interval of exceptional warmth with reduced pole-to-equator temperature gradients. Climate proxies indicate mean annual air temperatures (MATs) and sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) exceeding 8-18 °C and frost-free, mild winters in polar areas, features that have proven difficult to reproduce with the most ela...

New data from the Neogene Boudinar and Arbaa Taourirt basins (northeastern Morocco) provide constraints on the late Miocene evolution of the North Rifian Corridor. The chronostratigraphy of these basins is clarified on the basis of biostratigraphic (planktonic foraminifers, calcareous nannoplankton) and radio-isotope ages. Marine sedimentation in t...

We evaluate the topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps using Eocene to Pleistocene pollen data combined with existing sedimentological, petrographic and detrital geo-and thermochronological data. We report 32 new pollen analyses from 10 sites completed by an existing dataset of 83 samples from 14 localities situated across the southwestern...

Unlike southern Spain, northern Morocco has been little investigated for palaeoecological purposes. Consequently, the origin and history of the Rifan vegetation is largely unknown, as well as the past role of human activities. A review of the Plio-Pleistocene fossil data available from North Africa clearly reveals the ancient origin of much of the...

New field and micropalaeontological investigations have been conducted in four of the Pliocene rias of the internal zone of the Rif in Morocco, on the southern margin of the Alboran Sea. We found that marine sediments outcropping in these rias were deposited mainly during the Early Zanclean, between 5.04 and 3.8 Ma. After a transgressive episode th...

New field and micropalaeontological investigations have been conducted in four of the Pliocene rias of the internal zone of the Rif in Morocco, on the southern margin of the Alboran Sea. We found that marine sediments outcropping in these rias were deposited mainly during the Early Zanclean, between 5.04 and 3.8 Ma. After a transgressive episode th...

Palynological studies are considered as an excellent tool for palaeoaltitude estimates as sedimentary basins receive abundant pollen grains from surrounding uplands, especially through riverine detritic inputs. Here, we provide new evidence for estimating the palaeoaltitude of the Sila Massif (southern Apennines, Italy) ca. 2.4 Ma, based on vegetat...

Northern Hemisphere vegetation is generally zoned as a consequence of latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. Temperature reconstruction from three successive pollen floral assemblages (of Tortonian, Messinian and Zanclean age) from the eastern Pyrenees has been used to estimate the altitudinal evolution of the uplifted Cerdanya Basin and its surrou...

The pollen analysis of sediments of two boreholes located in the northeastern Morocco (Nador 1) and in the southeastern Spain (Andalucia G1) has allowed shedding a new light on the vegetation and climate of the North African littoral plains, the Rif Massif and the Betic Range during the Pliocene. The vegetation around the Alboran Sea was open and x...

Pollen analysis of Miocene and Pliocene sediments from the Iberian Peninsula shows a progressive reduction in plant diversity through time caused by the disappearance of thermophilous and high-water requirement plants. In addition, an increase in warm–temperate (mesothermic), seasonal-adapted “Mediterranean” taxa, high-elevation conifers and herbs...

The Upper Valdarno (Italy) Plio-Pleistocene continental deposits record the latest uniform subtropical humid conditions and the successive climatic signature of glacial/interglacial cycling. The palynological and sedimentological analyses on the Poggio Rosso alluvial plain sediments reveal two major climatic fluctuations correlated to a glacial/int...

The complex relationships within modern landscapes cannot be understood without the benefit of retrospective studies. We review palaeoenvironmental data for southeastern Spain, a landscape vulnerable to desertification and with antiquity of human pressure on the landscape. A xerophytic component is discernible in the pollen diagrams of the southeas...

An intense controversy on chronostratigraphy of upper Miocene–lower Pliocene deposits and the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Dardanelles area led to a systematic investigation of calcareous nannoplankton content of 10 key-sections representative of the most relevant regional Kirazlı and Alçıtepe formations. Our study shows clearly that the Kirazl...

Here we perform a detailed comparison between climate model results and climate reconstructions in western Europe and the Mediterranean area for the mid-Piacenzian warm interval ( ca 3 Myr ago) of the Late Pliocene epoch. This region is particularly well suited for such a comparison as several quantitative climate estimates from local pollen record...

Aim  To reconstruct the flora, vegetation, climate and palaeoaltitude during the Miocene (23.03–5.33 Ma) in Central Europe.Location  Six outcrop sections located in different basins of the Central Paratethys in Austria.Methods  Pollen analysis was used for the reconstruction of the vegetation and climate. The altitude of the Eastern Alps that are a...

A climatic reconstruction has been carried out on the Stirone pollen sequence (northern Italy), covering the Pliocene period from the Zanclean to the early Gelasian (˜5.1 to ˜2.2 Ma). Despite the existence of a number of hiatuses, the section provides a clear picture of the vegetation and climatic evolution during this time interval, which includes...

In Europe and the Mediterranean region, the vegetation and climate of the Neogene is well understood, due to the abundance of pollen data, allowing the climate evolution at a time of global cooling to be described. This paper presents a climatic reconstruction of four key time- slices of the Neogene: the Mid-Miocene (c. 14 Ma), the Late Miocene (c....

In Europe and the Mediterranean region, the vegetation and climate of the Neogene is well understood, due to the abundance of pollen data, allowing the climate evolution at a time of global cooling to be described. This paper presents a climatic reconstruction of four key time- slices of the Neogene: the Mid-Miocene (c. 14 Ma), the Late Miocene (c....

Pollen analysis of a Lower Miocene succession from the Rubielos de Mora Basin (NE Spain) has been carried out with the aim of reconstructing the flora, vegetation and climatic changes. Previous paleobotanical studies on these sedimentary rocks and adjacent areas interpreted very diverse climates for the Early Miocene: from humid temperate to dry su...

The latest Miocene (5.96 to 5.33 Ma) is characterised by an outstanding event: the desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea (Messinian salinity crisis). It has been suggested that this was caused by a tectonic event, with no climatic change playing a role in desiccation. Quantifying the climate of the region during this period will help support or refu...

The comparison of six pollen diagrams from French Alps allows us to reconstruct the past changes of vegetation structure at the upper limit of Subalpine range. Dense populations of Pinus cembra developed between 6500 and 2400 cal. BP, both in the southern Alps and the northern ones. Southern Alps seem however to be characterised by higher altitudin...

The comparison of six pollen diagrams from French Alps allows us to reconstruct the past changes of vegetation structure at the upper limit of Subalpine range. Dense populations of Pinus cembra developed between 6500 and 2400 cal. BP, both in the southern Alps and the northern ones. Southern Alps seem however to be characterised by higher altitudin...

A mutual climatic range method is applied to the Mediterranean marine pollen record of Semaforo (Vrica section, Calabria, Italy) covering the period from ∼2.46 Ma to ∼2.11 Ma. The method yields detailed information on summer, annual and winter temperatures and on precipitation during the nine obliquity and precession-controlled ‘glacial’ periods (m...

High-resolution palynological analysis in the Karpatian–Sarmatian (late early–middle Miocene) interval of the borehole Tengelic 2 (Hungary) reveals the existence of a forest organized in altitudinal belts developed in a subtropical–warm temperate humid climate, reflecting the so-called Miocene climatic optimum. Pollen changes from the late early Mi...

The major event undergone by the Mediterranean Sea consists on its almost entire desiccation during the Late Miocene known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). The Mediterranean Sea was isolated from the Atlantic ocean by sea level change and tectonic activity in the Betico-Rifian area. Because precipitation and continental runoff were not able...

RESUME Les palynologues du Cénozoïque qui se posent la question de l'identification botanique des grains de pollen sont des utilisateurs assidus des herbiers pour l'obtention du matériel comparatif de référence qui sera examiné au microscope photonique et, éventuellement, au microscope électronique à balayage. Il en résulte une maîtrise des caractè...

A Neogene palynological profile from the Velona Basin (Tuscany, Italy) is used for quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction. Two standard methods, the Coexistence Approach and the Climatic Amplitude Method, are applied to show the potential of quantitative analyses also in comparison with the classical qualitative interpretation of data. In spite...

The sedimentary sequence cored in the Senèze maar (Velay, France) is very favourable for magnetostratigraphy of the Late Pliocene and for studying the paleoenvironmental changes that occurred during that period. The magnetostratigraphic studies revealed that the sediments from this lacustrine sequence were deposited during the Matuyama reverse peri...

Reconstruction of the composition and organisation of the late Pliocene vegetation in central Mediterranean and quantification of the climatic requirements of its main representatives allow temperature and precipitation estimates during the late Pliocene glacial/interglacial cycles, at ca 2.4 Ma. The late Pliocene climatic glacial and interglacial...

The abiotic conditions (soil properties, water balance) associated with terrestrial biomes in France during the last climatic cycle have been quantified using an indirect method. A set of potential modern climatic analogues across the world was first selected for each biome type. The edaphic features corresponding to the chosen analogue vegetation...

A new pollen-derived method of climatic quantification, based on the mutual climatic range of plant taxa, has been applied to 17 Pliocene pollen sequences in the West Mediterranean area. The latitudinal gradient observed in the pollen data was confirmed by the climatic reconstructions: there is a gradient from north to south both for temperatures a...

The value of pollen records for vegetation and climate reconstructions is now well-established. Above all, the west Mediterranean region is highly documented, especially for what concerns the Lower pliocene (suc et al., 1995a) and offers rfavourite field for climatic quantifications (Fauquette et al., l999a, 1998b and in press). The next step is to...

The altitude of the Mercantour Massif (Southern Alps, France) during the earliest Pliocene has been estimated using a new quantification method. Instead of classical methods using geomorphologic criteria, our method uses biogeographic and climatologic criteria: composition of the modern vegetation belts in the European and peri-Mediterranean mounta...

Biomes and climate reconstructions are based on variations of the pollen content of the sediments. Pollen analysis was conducted on sediment deposits sampled at Chantemerle site (Vienne department, France). The pollen diagram covered only the last 7200 years BP. Consequently, additional pollen sequences, derived from the European Pollen Database, h...

The climatic reconstruction of the Pliocene, based on pollen data, requires a new method of quantification011 because of the presence in pollen spectra, of temperate, warm-temperate but also subtropical plants. As no modern pollen spectra contain all these taxa, the best analogues method is inappropriate for this period. So, a new method is propose...

Pollen data from numerous sites around the Mediterranean Sea indicate that several important vegetation and climatic changes occurred during the Pliocene. These data are in good agreement with pollen records from northwest Europe and with δ18O curves from Mediterranean and Atlantic deep-sea cores. Quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstructions from Pl...