Micromammal biostratigraphy of the Upper Miocene to lowest Pleistocene continental deposits of the Guadix basin, southern Spain

Abstract

Minwer‐Barakat, R., García‐Alix, A., Suárez, E.M., Freudenthal, M. & Viseras, C. 2012 xx xx: Micromammal biostratigraphy of the Upper Miocene to lowest Pleistocene continental deposits of the Guadix basin, southern Spain. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 594–614. Recent study of the small mammals (rodents and insectivores) from several fossil‐bearing sites situated in the central sector of the Guadix Basin (Southern Spain) has notably increased the knowledge of the mammal assemblages that existed in Southern Iberia from the latest Miocene to the earliest Pleistocene. On the basis of this new information, we propose a biozonation for the continental deposits of the Guadix Basin, which consists of six biozones ranging in age from the late Turolian (MN13) to the early Villanyian (MN17). These biozones, defined according to the rules of the International Stratigraphical Guide, include not only the mentioned recently discovered fossil sites, but also other, previously known, localities of the basin. Finally, we integrate the described biozones in the Neogene Mammal units and the European Land Mammal Ages, correlate them with several classical mammal sites from other Iberian basins and the rest of Europe, and establish an approximate numerical age for the lower and upper limits of each biozone. □Biostratigraphy, Guadix Basin, rodents, insectivores, Upper Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene.

Pleistocene rodents from the Torrent de Vallparadís section (Terrassa, northeastern Spain) and biochronological implications

“…This age estimate is confirmed by the presence of Apocricetus alberti Freudenthal, Mein, and Martín Suárez, 1998, Ruscinomys schaubi Villalta and Crusafont, 1956, Paraethomys meini (Michaux, 1969 and Apodemus gudrunae van de Weerd, 1976(Freudenthal et al 1998Sesé 2006a;García-Alix et al 2008a). This faunal association is consistent with the Apodemus gudrunae Assemblage Zone in the Guadix Basin (Minwer-Barakat et al 2012 of Stephanomys dubari Aguilar, Michaux, Bachelet, Calvet, and Faillat, 1991, Weerd, 1976(Mein et al 1990Adrover et al 1993).…”

Early to Middle Pleistocene rodent biostratigraphy of the Guadix-Baza Basin (SE Spain)

“…This basin was part of the corridors connecting the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas during part of Miocene (see general sedimentary schemes by Fern andez et al, 1996;Soria et al, 1998). Towards the end of the Miocene the basin was disconnected from the sea and continental successions were deposited (Minwer-Barakat et al, 2009a, 2009b, 2012a, 2012bHüsing et al, 2010Hüsing et al, , 2012Martín-Su arez et al, 2012). Thus, these successions provide an almost continuous continental record for the last 6 Ma.…”

Muridae (Rodentia) from the early Pleistocene of Loma Quemada-1 (Granada, Spain)

“…To date, three formations have been distinguished in the continental deposits: the Guadix Formation, which is mainly fluvial; the Gorafe-Huélago Formation, which is lacustrine; the lacustrine-palustrine Baza Formation (Guerra-Merchán 1990). The basin has been studied in detail (see Oms et al 2011;Minwer-Barakat et al 2012) since Fallot et al (1950) first reported the presence of mammal fossils, and especially since De Bruijn (1973) published his report on the first fossil micromammal localities.…”