Connections of Israeli Upper Cretaceous flora with coeval floras of adjacent regions

Abstract

New study of Israeli Upper Cretaceous flora shows that it has some common features with the Upper Cretaceous floras of the northern shore of the Tethys and other common features with coeval floras of its southern shore. This flora can be considered as transitional between two types or as a "mixed" flora. The transitional character of the Israeli Negev flora shows that an important connection between the northern and southern shores of the Tethys existed during the Upper Cretaceous. Previously, on the basis of miospores, the equatorial area (Northern Gondwana) has been thought to be more closely allied to those of Southern Gondwana (Notal area) than to more northern floras. Megaplant material shows that in the Upper Cretaceous the Middle East was connected more closely with Europe and Kazakhstan. We see its connections with both Laurasia and with Africa.