A NEW FLORA FROM THE ESMERALDAS FORMATION OF COLOMBIA, A WINDOW TO THE EOCENE CLIMATE IN THE NEOTROPICS

The late Paleocene–early Eocene interval was characterized by a long period of global warming that culminated with the highest temperatures of the Tertiary. This interval has been associated with plant extinctions and a subsequent increase in plant diversity mostly in temperate latitudes. Nevertheless, documented fossil floras from this interval in the Neotropics are sparse. Here, we present preliminary results from a new fossil flora from the Late Eocene–Early Oligocene Esmeraldas Formation. The Flora is composed by well-preserved compressions and impressions of leaves, including abundant cuticles, also seeds, fruits and flowers. The Esmeraldas Formation presents deposits of fluvial and estuarine environments with tidal influence. The analysis of leaf architecture characters of fossil leaves from the Esmeraldas Flora indicates lower temperatures, when compared to Paleocene Floras from Colombia with similar environmental deposition, in addition to remarkable taxonomic differences. This Flora represents a unique opportunity to elucidate the consequences of climate change in the Neotropical Flora.