PLIOCENE MESOPHYTIC FORESTS SURROUNDING CRATER LAKES IN WESTERN HUNGARY

Two new palaeobotanical sites, Gerce and Pula from western Hungary, fo und in volcanic craters are characterized in terms of floristic compos ition, vegetation, and palaeoclimate. Radiometric dating of adjacent v olcanic bodies indicates the age of the fossiliferous deposits near th e Lower/Upper Pliocene boundary. Deciduous broad-leaved, woody plants prevail in both localities (Quercus, Ulmus, Zelkova, Acer, Salicaceae) and are associated with some rare exotic elements (Ginkgo, Torreya, E ngelhardia, Eucommia, Sassafras) and Buxus. The climatic conditions in ferred from the reconstructed vegetation indicate a Cf-type of climate with a mean annual temperature of 10-13 degrees C and some dry period s during the year. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.