A new middle Pleistocene (Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 6) cold herpetofaunal assemblage from the central Iberian Peninsula (Manzanares Valley, Madrid)

Abstract

Middle Pleistocene sites that document glacials are relatively rare in the Iberian Peninsula, and as such, the composition of cold small-vertebrate assemblages is almost unknown in southwestern Mediterranean Europe. The archaeological site Estanque de Tormentas de Butarque H-02 in Villaverde, Madrid, in central Spain, recently attributed to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 6, provides new data on cold small-vertebrate assemblages. Quantitative climate reconstruction and habitat weighting methods applied to the herpetofaunal assemblage reconstruct the terrestrial climatic and environmental conditions that prevailed in central Spain during the penultimate glacial (MIS 6). During MIS 6, the climate was colder (−3.0°C) and slightly wetter (+122.8 mm) than present in the study area. This confirms that temperature variations were not extreme and precipitation was sufficient in southern Mediterranean Europe for the persistence of temperate trees. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction suggests a large representation of dry environments on the overlying plateau, together with a probable corridor of humid meadows and woodlands along the river where the site is located.

Landscape evolution during the Middle and Late Pleistocene in the Madrid Basin (Spain): Vegetation dynamics and human activity in the Jarama-Manzanares rivers (Madrid) during the Pleistocene

“…Our data is consistent with what has been observed in central Spain (Blain et al, 2012(Blain et al, , 2017Laplana et al, 2015).…”

Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence of Lezetxiki II Cave (Basque Country, Iberian Peninsula) inferred from small vertebrate assemblages

“…As in Lezetxiki II, the microvertebrate species associated with open habitats are in the majority, ranging from 53% (level 4) to 47% (level IV). Additionally, the herpetofaunal assemblage from the archaeological site Estanque de Tormentas de Butarque H-02 (Manzanares Valley, central Iberian Peninsula) pointed out that during MIS 6, the climate was colder (−3.0°C) and slightly wetter (+122.8 mm) than at present, with a large representation of dry environments (Blain et al, 2017).…”

Middle Pleistocene human occupation in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during cold climate conditions: Zooarchaeology and taphonomy of ETB-H02 site in the Manzanares valley (Madrid, Spain)

“…The construction of a storm water retention tank gave rise to the excavation of an area covering 7 ha in surface and with a 30 m maximum depth. Three stratigraphic sequences were identified in this hollow, from top to bottom named ETB 1, ETB 2 and ETB 3, plus a fourth basal sequence consisting of karstic remains and two fill in fill fluvial terraces of the Manzanares river at þ12 m and þ8e10 m (Domínguez-Alonso et al, 2009;Laplana et al, 2015;Blain et al, 2017a). Also, T þ12 m overlaps ETB 3, which is therefore older (Fig.…”

“…The Estanque de Tormentas de Butarque (ETB-H02) site is located in the Complex Terrace of Butarque (CTB) in the Manzanares Valley eETRS89 40º20 0 18 00 N, 3º39 0 57 00 W at 582 m asl-(Fig. 1; Alvarez Catal an et al, 2009;De los Arcos et al, 2008;, which corresponds to the Middle Pleistocene from a biostratigraphic point of view (Laplana et al, 2015), matches with a MIS 6 or MIS 7 cold event (Blain et al, 2017a). This allows us to tackle the study of the human occupation in the Southern Meseta of Iberian Peninsula during the cold times of the Middle Pleistocene.…”