Fossiliferous Holocene tufa of Mende (Lozère, southern France): implication for the Atlantic vegetation of the Causses Basin

A rare Holocene fossiliferous tufa deposit near Mende, Lozère, southern France, provides unprecedented insights into the Atlantic vegetation of the Causses Basin. Radiocarbon dating and geomorphological analysis reveal that this calcite-rich deposit, linked to a karstic hydrological system, formed during the Atlantic period (Holocene). The flora, dominated by angiosperms, includes leaves and reproductive structures from species such as Acer platanoides, Corylus sp., Hedera sp., Salix cf. cinerea, and Tilia cordata. This discovery suggests that while Pinus-dominated forests and oak groves likely thrived in the northern part of the basin during this period, valleys were locally inhabited by diversified wet angiosperm-dominated forests. The study enhances our limited understanding of Atlantic floras in the region.

Bourel, B., Moreau, J.-D., Trincal, V., & Walter-Simonnet, A.-V. (2016). Fossiliferous Holocene tufa of Mende (Lozère, southern France): implication for the Atlantic vegetation of the Causses Basin. Bulletin de La Société Géologique de France, 187(4-5), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.2113/gssgfbull.187.4-5.225