TERTIARY FLORA OF CHILE 113 



I would estimate the Chilean fossil flora as indicating a 

 change from the present climatic conditions corresponding to 

 from 10 to 12 of latitude at sea level. Thus if the region 

 around Antafogasta, Chile was not rainless at the present 

 time and supported a humid flora appropriate to its latitude I 

 would expect to find a flora comparable with that found 

 fossil in Chile growing for 2 or 3 degrees north and south 

 of that place. Ignoring the complications due to the climatic 

 changes that resulted from the elevation of the Andes, this 

 suggests that the secular change of climate since lower 

 Miocene time was sufficient to cause this flora to withdraw 

 northward some 10 degrees nearer the equator. 



It may be, however, that there has been no secular change, 

 and that the indicated difference may be due entirely to 

 changes in level and the consequent altered distribution and 

 proportions of land and water, and the effects of these 

 changes on atmospheric and oceanic circulation. 



AGE OF THE DEPOSITS 



It seems probable that the term Navidad beds should be 

 dropped from the literature, certainly its application to beds 

 at numerous scattered localities as is done by Moricke is 

 entirely unwarranted. The so-called Navidad fauna is 

 extensive, but probably a mixture of more than one horizon, 

 as Ortmann and others have suspected. It has been described 

 principally by Philippi 20 and Moricke. 21 It is said to show 

 closer relationships with the Tertiary faunas of Europe than 

 with the corresponding faunas of Australia and New Zea- 

 land, although it contains some elements common to the 

 latter. No adequate comparisons have ever been made with 

 the corresponding faunas of the Antilles and North America. 



20 Philippi, R. A., Die tertiaren und quartaren Versteinerungen 

 Chiles. Leipzig, 1887. 



21 Moricke, W., Versteinerungen der Tertiarformation von Chile. 

 Neues Jahrb. Beil. Bd. 10, pp. 548-612, pis. 



