Conclusions

Sediments exposed at Kakahu were probably deposited from the Paleocene into the Early Eocene. The boundary itself is probably represented by an "interzone" reflecting a transient vegetation and climate. Organically-preserved plant macrofossils indicate that low diversity communities of conifers and angiosperms existed, although localized leaf-impression assemblages suggest some higher diversity communities may also have been present. Paleoclimate details are difficult to interpret as more comparative information is needed on the physiognomy of extant vegetation. However, leaf margin analysis suggests temperate conditions, much cooler conditions than subtropical temperatures suggested by leaf size. An important conclusion of this work is that fire seems to have been an integral part of much of the environment for an extended period of time.