Aspects of Romanian Early-Middle Jurassic palaeobotany and palynology. Part VII. Successions and floras.

The Jurassic floras of Romania occur in the Carpathian Mountains and in Dobrogea (Eastern Romania). In the South Carpathians, diverse and well preserved floras have been recorded since the middle of the 19th Century in the Resita, Sirinia, Presacina, Cerna-Jiu, Holbav and Cristian Basins. The ages of these floras range between Hettangian and Sinemurian, with representatives belonging to Bryophytes, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. Excellent preservation and diversity were recorded in Anina, in the central area of the Resita Basin, a possible fossile-Lagersta¨tte locality. The 3D collecting opportunities due to underground coal mining permitted detailed phytostratigraphical studies. These studies showed a floral change at the Hettangian-Sinemurian boundary, related to climate change. The Jurassic coal basins of the South Carpathians show both intramontainous and paralic features. The Resita Basin is a typical intramountainous depression basin, while the other basins are influenced by the marine realm. From a paleogeographical point of view, the Romanian Early and Middle Jurassic floras occurred on the northern frame of the Tethys realm, floristic features indicating the Eurosinian Province. One of the closest floras in terms of floristic similarities is the Iranian Early Jurassic flora. In the Apuseni Mountains, the Hettangian-Sinemurian flora is less well-preserved and diverse than those of the South Carpathians. The Middle Jurassic flora of Romania is confined to Dobrogea (Eastern Romania), where a bennettite-dominated assemblage with low diversity and preservation was recorded. This is a contribution to UNESCO-IUGS IGCP 506 Project.