Where is Glossopteris found?
The Glossopteris fossil is found in Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa, and South America—all the southern continents. Now, the Glossopteris seed is known to be large and bulky and therefore could not have drifted or flown across the oceans to a separate continent.
What does a Glossopteris look like?
Glossopteris occurred in a variety of growth forms. Its most common fossil is that of a tongue-shaped leaf with prominent midrib and reticulate venation. Glossopteris leaves are commonly found in thick mats, and thus some authorities speculate that the plants were deciduous.
Why is Glossopteris important?
Glossopteris fossils provide important evidence for currently accepted distribution of continental plates in the Permian period that ended 250 million years ago. The mass extinction that marks the end of the Permian period is believed to have led to the disappearance of Glossopteris.
What is Glossopteris flora?
Glossopteris flora The fossil flora that succeeds the Permian glacial deposits of South Africa, Australia, South America, and Antarctica. It grew in a cold, wet climate, while the flora of North America and Europe existed under warm conditions.
Who discovered Glossopteris?
During the first half of the 20th century, geologist Eduard Suess discovered that fossils of the extinct seed fern Glossopteris could be found on three different continents.
Why did Glossopteris become extinct?
Despite its prevalence, the genus did not survive long after the break-up of Pangaea (about 200 million years ago, during the Triassic Period). As the continents drifted apart, the climate changed in the areas where Glossopteris had thrived, and all of the species died out.
What are the continents that has the fossil remains of Glossopteris?
Glossopteris flourished in Gondwana, which is now the present-day continents of South America, Australia, Africa, and Antarctica. Large numbers of fossils are also found in India.
Why is the Glossopteris in Antarctica?
Deciduous trees such as Glossopteris are an indicator of a warm climate, as is the absence of frost rings. The obvious conclusions are that 260 million years ago, deciduous trees adapted to a warm climate and grew in abundance in what is known today as Antarctica.
What does the Glossopteris fossils tell us?
Glossopteris fossils were critical in recognizing former connections between the various fragments of Gondwana: South America, Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica.
What kind of organism was the Glossopteris What did it look like what type of climate did it live in?
Glossopteris is an extinct type of plant referred to as a seed fern. These plants most likely thrived in warm tropical climates.