Paleomagnetic Correlation of the Mediterranean Upper Neogene Biochronology and Villafranchian Vertebrate Sites of the Massif Central, France

Abstract

Magnetostratigraphic studies of Pliocene-Pleistocene continental deposits on the Plateau de Perrier and in the Le Puy-en-Velay basin (Massif Central), as well as in the Riez-Valensole basin (Alpes de Haute Provence, Mediterranean South), provide decisive reference dating of several well-known fossil-bearing Villafranchian sites. These are well distributed in the tephrostratigraphy on both sides of the Gauss/Matuyama geomagnetic boundary: the Roca-Neyra fauna falls within the Matuyama chron, while older sediments at Les Etouaires are situated just above the normal-reversed transition. The Vialette section lies below this reversal, within the Gauss chron. In the Riez-Valensole basin, the discovery of the Gauss/Matuyama boundary toward the top of the Puimoisson section leads to an excellent correlation with the Massif Central localities. Rodents of the Seynes zone occur below the reversal, while Equus appears just above. This calibration improves the Mediterranean upper Neogene biochronology and allows a direct correlation with Villafranchian vertebrate sites of the Massif Central.

Tracking exhumation and drainage divide migration of the Western Alps: A test of the apatite U-Pb thermochronometer as a detrital provenance tool

“…Scarce vertebrate microfauna and calcareous nannoplankton constrain deposition of MM1 to 20.2 ± 2.3 Ma and MM4 to 16.3 ± 1.3 Ma (Couëffé and Maridet, 2003). The Molasse Marine attains a thickness of ~1250 m where exposed along the northern margin of the basin, but it is largely concealed to the south beneath the Conglomérat de Valensole (also termed the Poudingues de Valensole), an ~300-m-thick unit of coarse fluvial conglomerate that disconformably overlies the Molasse Marine (Couëffé and Maridet, 2003;Biquand et al, 1990). The Conglomérat de Valensole was deposited diachronously: Vertebrate microfauna indicate the age of the contact ranges from ca.…”

“…Conglomerate deposition had ceased by ca. 3 Ma, and the Valensole basin has subsequently been partially dissected by Quaternary fluvial incision (Biquand et al, 1990).…”

Systematical and biochronological review of Plio-Pleistocene Alceini (Cervidae; Mammalia) from Eurasia

“…Although the fauna is said to come from two levels, it seems to represent a homogeneous Middle Villafranchian assemblage. Equus major, small Equus, Megalovis and Canis are, indeed, usually found in Middle Villafranchian faunas, such as Erpfingen 2, in Germany (Sotnikova, 1989;Forsten, 1998), Varshets and Slivnitsa, in Bulgaria (Spassov and Cre´gut-Bonnoure, 1999), Cornillet, in France (Biquand et al, 1990), Costa San Giacomo, in Italy (Palombo et al, 2000(Palombo et al, -2002 Kuruksay, in Tadzhikstan (Sotnikova et al, 1997;Forsten and Sharapov, 2000), Liventsovka m.l., in Russia (Forsten, 1998;Sotnikova et al, 2002). Moreover, Boeuf (1997) notes that the clayey recurrence in the slope deposits is not sufficient evidence for chronological gap of some importance between the two fossiliferous levels.…”

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“…Este límite ha sido recalibrado entre 2,6 y 2,58 Ma (Cande y Kent, 1992Kent, , 1995. La unidad MN17 se iniciaría al principio del período Matuyama en el chron 2r.2r inverso, anterior a 2,4 ó 1,9 Ma, edad de los basaltos de Chilhac (Boeuf, 1983;Biquand et al, 1990: fig.7).…”

“…La asociación de El Rincón-l al igual que son), en donde yacimientos superpuestos, el supela serie de Puimoisson indica que faunas de la unirior con Equus, datados en la unidad MNI6, se dad MN16 se correlacionan con el chron C2An.ln correlacionan con el episodio final normal del del período Gauss y serían anteriores a 2,6 Ma. período Gauss (Guérin et al, 1970;Bachelet, 1990; Por tanto, la edad atribuida por Steininger et al Biquand et al, 1990).…”