135-6 Past Research and Future Directions for Mesozoic Macrofloras Collected in U.S. National Parks

Session: Science and Stewardship of U.S. National Park Service Paleontological Resources

Presenting Author:

Renee Cace

Authors:

Cace, Renee¹, Huegele, Indah B.², Bober, Katherine Mae Maxine³, Matel, Theodore P.⁴, Boucher, Lisa D.⁵, Hermsen, Elizabeth J.⁶, Manchester, Steven R.⁷, McCoy, Victoria E.⁸, Tweet, Justin⁹, Santucci, Vincent L.¹⁰, Visaggi, Christy C.¹¹

(1) University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (2) Idaho Museum of Natural History, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA, (3) Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, (4) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, (5) University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (6) Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA, (7) Florida Museum of Natural Hist, Gainesville, FL, USA, (8) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA, (9) National Park Service Geologic Resources Division, St. Paul, MN, USA, (10) National Park Service, Geologic Resource Division, Washington, DC, USA, (11) Georgia State University, Geosciences, Atlanta, GA, USA,

Abstract:

As part of the Paleontology in the Parks Fellowship, a partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and the Paleontological Society, four student-mentor teams have reviewed paleobotanical records from NPS units. Macrofossil records based mainly on leaves, reproductive structures and wood will be highlighted from the more than 55 parks preserving Mesozoic-aged fossil plants. Material from the reviewed parks contributes to our understanding of changing floras through the Mesozoic, especially from Late Triassic and Cretaceous exposures. In addition, plant assemblages provide important data for paleoenvironmental reconstructions and biotic interactions. Although Petrified Forest National Park, Big Bend National Park, and the former Fossil Cycad National Monument are already well known for their paleobotanical remains, we have identified additional parks that yield well-preserved specimens suitable for study; these include Bryce Canyon National Park, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, and Yellowstone National Park. Bryce Canyon yields abundant plant fossils that will contribute to our knowledge of Late Cretaceous floras, Yukon-Charley contains a record from the Cretaceous-Paleocene likely to further our understanding of floral changes at high latitude, and Yellowstone preserves a largely unstudied Mesozoic flora across several formations that complement the well-known Cenozoic material. We have also identified other NPS units that contain at-risk paleobotanical resources and unstudied macrofloras. This presentation will include previous research, new discoveries, and areas with high potential for future study in the National Park System’s Mesozoic strata.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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