Читать книгу Biogeography in the Sub-Arctic - Группа авторов - Страница 51

This formation is found in western Iceland; it is covered by lavas that are dated to ~1.1 Ma. The lower part of the formation is a glaciomarine deposit with arctic molluscs such as the small bivalve Portlandia arctica. The upper part is dominated by shallow‐water marine deposits with an interglacial fauna that includes the gastropods Littorina littorea and Nucella lapillus, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis and the barnacle Balanus balanoides. The upper part of the formation includes a lacustrine succession with sandstone and siltstone with plant fossils (Figure 4).

Macrofossils of E. nigrum, Vaccinium cf. uliginosum, Potentilla sp., Salix arctica tp., S. herbacea and Valeriana sp. have been recorded. Again, the pollen and spore flora are more diverse than the macroflora and include Pinus, Alnus and Betula, Mercurialis perennis, Plantago coronopus and Polygonum aviculare and overall the fossil flora indicates forest‐tundra vegetation on uplands in the region and an interglacial type of climate similar to that of the Holocene.