The Pliocene Flora from the Yushe Basin of Shanxi Province and its Environmental Significance

Pliocene fluviolacustrine deposits within the Yushe Basin of Shanxi Province are extremely well developed, and contain abundant paleobotanical remains. Representative taxa from the early to middle Pliocene include: Magnolia, Liquidambar, Platycarya, Tsuga, and others, indicating a northern subtropical dense forest for the landscape of the Yushe basin during that period. There was, however, a trend toward a cold and dry climate. The Yushe region during the late stage of the Pliocene maintained a deciduous and broadleaf forest vegetation similar to the extant plant cover of the southern regions of North China. The extensive distribution of fluviolacustrine deposits in combination with these botanical characteristics indicate a seasonal climate for the Yushe region in the Pliocene. It is evident that annual and seasonal xeric to mesic and cold to warm fluctuations occurred.