Biostratigraphy or biochronology? Lessons from the Early and Middle Miocene small Mammal Events in Europe

Abstract

Since the proposition in 1975 of the European Neogene Mammal (MN) scale by Pierre Mein, the amount of taxonomical, strati graphical and chronological information around Europe has increased exponentially. In this paper, the strati graphical schemes of three of the best studied areas for the Lower and Middle Miocene, the Aragonian type area in Spain and the Upper Freshwater Molasse from the North Alpine Foreland Basin in Switzerland and Bavaria, are compared. The correlation of their local biostratigraphies are discussed. Sixteen rodent's events are studied and ranked in the three areas according to their local biostratigraphy. This study shows, and quantifies for the first time, the significant asynchronies of the different included rodent events. The MN-system is discussed in the light of those results. In accordance, we propose that it is still useful but only in a biochronological way, as a sequence of time-ordered reference localities allowing coarse long-distance correlations. In order to obtain better temporal resolution, this system has to be combined with local biostratigraphies that are well calibrated to the time scale, implementing the information about synchrony and diachrony of mammal events in different areas. evenements. Le systeme MN est discute it la lumiere de ces resultats. En consequence, nous proposons que ce systeme reste utile seulement d 'un point de vue biochronologique, comme sequence ordonnee dans le temps de localites-reperes permettant des correlations grossieres it longue distance. Afin d' obtenir une meilleure resolution temporelle, ce systeme doit etre combine avec des biostratigraphies locales bien calibrees dans le temps, en integrant les informations de synchronie et de diachronie des evenements it mammiferes dans differentes regions.

The primate fossil record in the Iberian Peninsula

“…Age boundaries for epochs and stages are after Lourens et al (2004). European Land Mammal Ages (ELMA) and Neogene Mammal Zones (MN) after Steiniger (1999), Agustí et al (2001), Rook and Martínez-Navarro (2010) and Van der Meulen et al (2011). Climatic data are taken from Zachos et al (2001).…”

New Cricetodontini from the middle Miocene of Europe: an example of mosaic evolution

“…The tribe Cricetodontini (Rodentia) is commonly present in the European Miocene; it provides relevant information regarding the biochronology, biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of the continental deposits (Van der Meulen & Daams 1992;Daams et al 1999aDaams et al , 1999b; Van der Meulen et al 2011. The representatives of Cricetodontini are considered to be immigrants in Asia Minor around the Oligocene-Miocene boundary (De Bruijn & Ünay 1996).…”

Dental microwear analysis in Gliridae (Rodentia): methodological issues and paleodiet inferences based on "Armantomys" from the Madrid Basin (Spain)

“…The first species, A. aragonensis, is present in the older locality (El Cañaveral, Hernández-Ballarín et al, 2010) and A. tricristatus in the younger one (Casa Montero, López-Guerrero et al, 2007). Both localities belong to the local biozone E (middle Aragonian, middle Miocene; Van der Meulen et al, 2011, where previous studies pointed out differences in the small-mammal assemblages between the two fossil sites (Hernández-Ballarín et al, 2010;, and might associate these changes with a context of changing environment.…”