Two Cenozoic palynological assemblages of the Kurha section, Kuqa, Xinjiang and their age and environmental significance

Cenozoic sediments are well developed in the Kuqa basin.The authors measured a section ex-posed in a river valley west of Kurha Village,about 50km northeast of the county seat of Kuqa.Two palynological assemblages were obtained from samples No.44(bed66)and No.50(bed90)respectively.The two samples are both from the Kangcun Formation,about 200m(thickness)apart.The palynological assemblage from sample No.44is dominated by pollen of angiosperms (94.5%);pollen of gymnosperms (4.4%)and spores of ferns (1.3%)are present in small amounts.The feature of this assemblage shows that grassland and bushes constituted the major part of the vegetation.The palynological assemblage from sample No.50consists mainly of pollen of angiosperms (66.5%)with subordinate pollen of gymnosperms (32.0%),and spores of ferns (1.4%)occur sporadically.The feature of this assemblage indicates that conifers represented mainly by elements of Pinaceae flourished at basin margins.