Pliocene pollen and spores from Sajau Coal, Berau Basin, Northeast Kalimantan, Indonesia: Environmental and Climatic Implications

New data on paleovegetation and paleoclimate during the Pliocene has been obtained from palynological analysis of the Pliocene age coals of Sajau Formation in the eastern part of the Berau basin, Northeast Kalimantan, Indonesia. Most of palynomorphs are recognizable from the coal sample in well-preserved condition. Pollen and spores were dominantly derived from terrestrial, with a low proportion of dinoflagellates. The presence of fresh water pollen and a lesser dinoflagellates cysts indicated that coals were deposited under fluvio-deltaic systems. The increasing of dinoflagellates cysts should be related with the transgression event. The presence of Dacrycarpites australiensis and Monoporites annulatus), dominated with Meliaceae, Rubiaceae, Lanagiapollis sp. , and Sapotaceoidaepollenites supported the late Pliocene age. During the Pliocene in Berau Basin, warm/wet climate was suggested occurred in sedimentation of coal seam- A, coal seam- K and coal seam-L which identified by dominated the arboreal pollen (AP) comparing the Non-arboreal pollen (NAP) while coal seam-B was formed under dry season (high AP, low NAP).