European land mammal age

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      The European Land Mammal Mega Zones (abbreviation: ELMMZ, more commonly known as European land mammal ages or ELMA) are zones in rock layers that have a specific assemblage of fossils (biozones) based on occurrences of fossil assemblages of European land mammals. These biozones cover most of the Cenozoic, with particular focus having been paid to the Neogene and Paleogene systems (i.e. rock layers which are 65.5 to 2.588 million years old), the Quaternary has several competing systems. In cases when fossils of mammals are abundant, stratigraphers and paleontologists can use these biozones as a more practical regional alternative to the stages of the official ICS geologic timescale. European Land Mammal Mega Zones are often also confusingly referred to as ages, stages, or intervals. [1]

      Contents

      Biostratigraphic methods

      Mammal zones were, like all biozones, established using geographic place names where fossil materials were obtained. The basic unit of measure is the first/last boundary statement. This shows that the first appearance event of one taxon is known to predate the last appearance event of another. If two taxa are found in the same fossil quarry or at the same stratigraphic horizon, then their age-range zones overlap.

      The terrestrial stratigraphy of the Cenozoic is more difficult than that of marine deposits. The geologic timescale of the ICS is therefore based on marine fossils, that don't occur in terrestrial sediments. This makes the correlation of terrestrial deposits with the ICS timescale often difficult. Correlation is possible when marine deposits interfinger with terrestrial deposits (resulting from a series of transgressions and regressions of the sea during deposition), but this isn't the case everywhere. A fine stratigraphic division of the terrestrial record can in most places only be made using fossils of land species. Small mammals are often the best choice as they are quite abundant in the terrestrial record, especially their teeth. Teeth have an even better chance of preservation than bones.

      The European mammalian biozones were established for the Paleogene (66-23.03 Mya, 8 zones) and Neogene (23.03-2.58 Mya, 7 zones) separately. Some of these, especially for the Neogene, were already established in the 19th century. The Villafranchian was, for example, introduced by Lorenzo Pareto in 1865. A finer subdivision was established by Pierre Mein in 1975, who divided the Neogene in 17 zones, known as the MN zonation, indicated by the letters MN (Mammal Neogene) and a number.

      Similarly, a more detailed subdivision for the Paleogene period was established. There are 30 such Mammal Paleogene zones (MP1 to MP30, numbered from old to young). [2]

      Paleogene European mammal zones

      Epoch ICS age ELMMZAge (Ma)
      Miocene Aquitanian Agenian younger
      Oligocene Chattian Arvernian 23.03–29.2
      Rupelian
      Suevian 29.2–33.8
      Headonian 33.8–37.2
      Eocene Priabonian
      Bartonian Robiacian 37.2–42.7
      Lutetian
      Geiseltalian 42.7–48.5
      Grauvian 48.5–50.8
      Ypresian
      Neustrian 50.8–55.0
      Paleocene Thanetian
      Cernaysian 55.0–55.9
      Subdivision of the Paleogene period into European Land Mammal Mega Zones (ELMMZ).

      There are 30 Mammal Paleogene zones covering the Paleogene (66-23.03 Mya).

      Neogene European mammal zones

      European Land Mammal Mega Zones most often have their bases at first appearances (FAD, First Appearance Date) of a certain species or genus. The numbers are higher for younger zones. Due to a redefinition of the boundary between the Neogene and Quaternary periods, MN 17 is now in fact considered a Quaternary biozone.

      BiozoneSmall mammalsLarge mammals
      MN 17 Kislangia gusi , Mimomys tornensis , Mimomys pliocaenicus, Mimomys reidi Eucladoceros
      MN 16Kislangia ischus, Mimomys polonicus, Kislangia cappettai, Mimomys hajnackensis Equus (horse), Mammuthus (mammoth), Homotherium , Megantereon , Ursus etruscus ,
      Pliohyaena perrieri , Gazellospira torticornis , Arvernoceros ardei , Hesperidoceras merlai , Cervus perrieri
      MN 15Mimomys occitanus, Oryctolagus , Mimomys vandemeuleni, Mimomys davakosi Chasmaporthetes lunensis
      MN 14 Promimomys , Trilophomys , Celadensia , Castor (beaver) Sus arvernensis , Croizetoceros , Acinonyx , Lynx issiodorensis
      MN 13 Paraethomys , Rhagapodemnus , Stephanomys , Apodemus , Apocricetus Parabos , Paracamelus , Agriotherium , Apocricetus , Nyctereutes , Hexaprotodon
      MN 12 Parapodemus barbarae , Huerzelerimys turoliensis Pliocervus , Hispanodorcas , Palaeoryx , Occitanomys adroveri , Procapreolus
      MN 11Parapodemus lugdunensis, Huerzelerimys vireti, Occitanomys sondaari Birgerbohlinia , Lucentia
      MN 10 Rotundomys , Pliopetaurista , Schreuderia , Progonomys cathalai Hyaenictis almerai, Adcrocuta eximia , Microstonyx major , Tragoportax gaufryi
      MN 9 Cricetulodon Hippotherium , Decennatherium , Machairodus
      MN 7/8 Megacricetodon ibericus , Megacricetodon gregarius Parachleuastochoerus , Propotamochoerus , Palaeotragus , Protragocerus , Tetralophodon
      MN 6Megacricetodon crusafonti, Megacricetodon gersi Tethytragus , Hispanomeryx , Euprox , Listriodon
      MN 5Megacricetodon collongensis Miotragocerus , Micromeryx , Heteroprox , Hispanotherium
      MN 4Megacricetodon primitivus Bunolistriodon , Dorcatherium , Chalicotherium , Eotragus , Prodeinotherium
      MN 3 Gomphotherium , Procervulus , Lagomeryx , Actoocemas , Palaeomeryx , Brachyodus , Anchitherium , Aureliachoerus , Hemicyon
      MN 2 Ligerimys , Prolagus , Lagopsis , Ritterneria manca Teruelia , Lorancameryx , Oriomeryx , Pseudaelurus , Xenohyus , Andegameryx , Amphitragulus
      MN 1 Rhodanomys schlosseri , Vasseuromys Hyotherium

      Quaternary European mammal zones

      The first zonation for the Quaternary of Europe was proposed by Azzaroli in 1967. [3] This was then expanded by Gliozzi et al. in 1997 to make a system of 3 'ages' subdivided into 13 'faunal units'. [4] The scheme does not define boundaries but instead is accompanied by a range chart, where the entry and exit dates for the taxa are indicated. Each zone is named after a reference locality. Most of the reference locations are in Italy but the scheme is used in other European regions. The mammal ages and Faunal Units (FU) after Gliozzi et al. are:

      Mammal Ages after Gliozzi et al., 1997 [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
      Mammal AgeFaunal Unitsub-ageLarge Mammals
      Villafranchian
      (Middle Pliocene to Early Pleistocene)      		TriversaEarly Villafranchian Pliorhinus megarhinus , Sus minor , Alephis liryx , Felsinotherium gervaisi
      MontopoliEarly Villafranchian Mammuthus gromovi , Equus lioenzwensi , Stephanorhinus etruscus
      Costa S. GiacomoMiddle Villafranchian Canis , Sus strozzi , Leptobos furtivus , Hystrix refossa , Gazellospira torticomis , Anancus arvernensis
      OlivolaLate Villafranchian Pachycrocuta brevirostris , Panthera gombaszoegensis , Procamptoceras brivatense , Eucladoceros dicranios , Eucladoceros nestii , Pseudodama , Canis etruscus
      TassoLate Villafranchian Hippopotamus antiquus , Praevibos , Leptobos vallisarni , Equus stehlini , Canis arnensis , Canis falconeri
      FarnettaLate Villafranchian Leptobos vallisarni , Eucladoceros dicranios , Eucladoceros nestii , Praemegaceros obscurus , Microtus
      Piro NordLate Villafranchian Bison, Praemegaceros solilhacus
      Galerian
      (Middle Pleistocene)      		Colle CurtiEarly Galerian Equus altidens , Equus bressanus , Equus sussenbornensis , Praemegaceros verticornis
      SilviaMiddle Galerian Cervus elaphus acoronatus
      IserniaMiddle Galerian Panthera fossilis , Palaeoloxodon antiquus , Mammuthus trogontherii , Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis , Megaloceros savini , Bos , Bison schoetensacki , Equus caballus , Pseudodama
      Fontana RanuccioLate Galerian Homotherium latidens , Cervus elaphus eostephanoceros , Dama clactoniana , Equus altidens , Equus sussenbornensis
      Aurelian
      (late Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene)      		Torre in PietraEarly Aurelian Canis lupus , Ursus spelaeus , Megaloceros giganteus , Cervus elaphus rianensis
      VitiniaMiddle Aurelian Dama dama tiberina , Equus hydruntinus
      none designatedLate Aurelian Dama dama dama , Capra ibex , Coelodonta antiquitatis , Mammuthus primigenius

      In 1982, Guérin [10] proposed an alternative scheme, which extended the MN zonation scheme for the Neogene with additional units to cover the Quaternary. There have been further updates since. [11] The MNQ (Mammal Neogene Quaternary) scheme added an additional 12 units in total, MNQ 16–27.

      For small mammals there is a third scheme, the MmQ, published by Agustí, Moyà‐Solà, and Pons‐Moyà in 1987. [12] The scheme includes some large mammals for reference and thus has a wider application. [13]

      Other continental mammalian biozones

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      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Neogene</span> Second geologic period in the Cenozoic Era 23–2.6 million years ago

      The Neogene is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period 23.03 million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period 2.58 million years ago. It is the second period of the Cenozoic and the eleventh period of the Phanerozoic. The Neogene is sub-divided into two epochs, the earlier Miocene and the later Pliocene. Some geologists assert that the Neogene cannot be clearly delineated from the modern geological period, the Quaternary. The term "Neogene" was coined in 1853 by the Austrian palaeontologist Moritz Hörnes (1815–1868). The earlier term Tertiary Period was used to define the span of time now covered by Paleogene and Neogene and, despite no longer being recognized as a formal stratigraphic term, "Tertiary" still sometimes remains in informal use.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Quaternary</span> Third and current period of the Cenozoic Era, from 2.58 million years ago to the present

      The Quaternary is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the Phanerozoic eon. It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ago to the present. The Quaternary Period is divided into two epochs: the Pleistocene and the Holocene ; a proposed third epoch, the Anthropocene, was rejected in 2024 by IUGS, the governing body of the ICS.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanclean</span> Earliest age on the geologic time scale of the Pliocene era

      The Zanclean is the lowest stage or earliest age on the geologic time scale of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma and 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma. It is preceded by the Messinian Age of the Miocene Epoch, and followed by the Piacenzian Age.

      The Piacenzian is in the international geologic time scale the upper stage or latest age of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma and 2.58 Ma. The Piacenzian is after the Zanclean and is followed by the Gelasian.

      The Bartonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geologic time scale, a stage or age in the middle of the Eocene Epoch or Series. The Bartonian Age spans the time between 41.2 and37.71 Ma. It is preceded by the Lutetian and is followed by the Priabonian Age.

      The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma. It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the first age of the Pliocene.

      The Serravallian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or a stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series, which spans the time between 13.82 Ma and 11.63 Ma. The Serravallian follows the Langhian and is followed by the Tortonian.

      The Langhian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma and 13.65 ± 0.05 Ma during the Middle Miocene.

      The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between 37.71 and33.9 Ma. The Priabonian is preceded by the Bartonian and is followed by the Rupelian, the lowest stage of the Oligocene.

      The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two ages or the lower of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 33.9 and27.82 Ma. It is preceded by the Priabonian Stage and is followed by the Chattian Stage.

      The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 27.82 and23.03 Ma. The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian.

      The Blancan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 4,750,000 to 1,806,000 years BP, a period of 2.944 million years. It is usually considered to start in the early-mid Pliocene Epoch and end by the early Pleistocene. The Blancan is preceded by the Hemphillian and followed by the Irvingtonian NALMA stages.

      In paleontology, biochronology is the correlation in time of biological events using fossils. In its strict sense, it refers to the use of assemblages of fossils that are not tied to stratigraphic sections. Collections of land mammal ages have been defined for every continent except Antarctica, and most are correlated with each other indirectly through known evolutionary lineages. A combination of argon–argon dating and magnetic stratigraphy allows a direct temporal comparison of terrestrial events with climate variations and mass extinctions.

      The Asian land mammal ages, acronym ALMA, establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric Asian fauna beginning 58.7 Mya during the Paleogene and continuing through to the Miocene (Aquitanian). These periods are referred to as ages, stages, or intervals and were established using geographic place names where fossil materials where obtained.

      The Mammal Neogene zones or MN zones are system of biostratigraphic zones in the stratigraphic record used to correlate mammal-bearing fossil localities of the Neogene period of Europe. It consists of seventeen consecutive zones defined through reference faunas, well-known sites that other localities can be correlated with. MN 1 is the earliest zone, and MN 18 is the most recent. The MN zones are complementary with the MP zones in the Paleogene.

      Miniopterus zapfei is a fossil bat in the genus Miniopterus from the middle Miocene of France. First described in 2002, it is known only from the site of La Grive M, where it occurs with another fossil Miniopterus species, the smaller and more common Miniopterus fossilis. M. zapfei is known from five mandibles and an isolated fourth upper premolar (P4). The fourth lower premolar is more slender than in M. fossilis and the cingulum shelf surrounding the P4 is less well-developed than in living Miniopterus. The length of the first lower molar is 1.57 to 1.60 mm.

      In biostratigraphy, MN 4 is one of the MN zones used to characterize the fossil mammal faunas of the Neogene of Europe. It is preceded by MN 3 and followed by MN 5; together, these three zones form the Orleanian age of the middle Miocene. This zone starts within magnetostratigraphic chron C5Dr, at 18 million years ago, and ends within chron C5Cr, at 17.0 million years ago, although some different correlations have been proposed.

      In biostratigraphy, MN 5 is one of the MN zones used to characterize the fossil mammal faunas of the Neogene of Europe. It is preceded by MN 4 and followed by MN 6 and is part of the Orleanian age of the middle Miocene. MN 5 starts within magnetostratigraphic chron C5Cr, at 17.0 million years ago, and ends at the start of chron C5Bn.1r, at 15.0 million years ago, although some different correlations have been proposed. The reference locality used to correlate faunas with this zone is Pontlevoy-Thenay in France; other localities include La Retama in Spain, Castelnau-d'Arbieu in France, and Sandelzhausen in Germany.

      Lagrivea is a fossil genus of squirrel from the Middle Miocene of France. The single species, L. vireti, is known from three mandibles and two isolated teeth. All come from the fissure filling of La Grive L5, part of the La Grive-Saint-Alban complex in Saint-Alban-de-Roche, southeastern France. Lagrivea was a large tree squirrel with flat lower incisors and a large, triangular fourth lower premolar (p4). Each of the four cheekteeth bears a deep basin in the middle of the crown. The m3 is about rectangular in shape, but rounded at the back. Although m1 and m2 have two roots, m3 has three.

      Villafranchian age is a period of geologic time spanning the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene used more specifically with European Land Mammal Ages. Named by Italian geologist Lorenzo Pareto for a sequence of terrestrial sediments studied near Villafranca d'Asti, a town near Turin, it succeeds the Ruscinian age, and is followed by the Galerian.

      References

      1. ↑ According to Steininger (1999), it is better to just use ELMMZ's in a biostratigraphic sense
      2. ↑ Mammal Paleogene zones , The Paleobiology Database
      3. ↑ Azzaroli, Augusto. 1967. “Villafranchian Correlations Based on Large Mammals.” Giornale di Geologia 35 (1): 21
      4. 1 2 Gliozzi, Elsa, Laura Abbazzi, Patrizia Argenti, Augusto Azzaroli, Lucia Caloi, Lucia Capasso Barbato, Giuseppe Di Stefano, et al. 1997. “Biochronology of Selected Mammals, Molluscs and Ostracods from the Middle Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene in Italy: The State of the Art.” Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 103 (3): 369–88.
      5. ↑ Kurten, Bjorn (1968). Pleistocene Mammals of Europe. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
      6. ↑ Pandolfi, Luca; Pierre-Olivier, Antoine; Bukhsianidze, Maia; Lordkipanidze, David; Rook, Lorenzo (2021-08-03). "Northern Eurasian rhinocerotines (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) by the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition: phylogeny and historical biogeography" . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 19 (15): 1031–1057. doi:10.1080/14772019.2021.1995907. ISSN   1477-2019.
      7. ↑ Frantz, Laurent; Meijaard, Erik; Gongora, Jaime; Haile, James; Groenen, Martien A.M.; Larson, Greger (2016-02-15). "The Evolution of Suidae". Annual Review of Animal Biosciences. 4 (1): 61–85. doi:10.1146/annurev-animal-021815-111155. ISSN   2165-8102.
      8. ↑ Lister, Adrian M.; Sher, Andrei V.; van Essen, Hans; Wei, Guangbiao (2005-01-01). "The pattern and process of mammoth evolution in Eurasia". Quaternary International. Studying Proboscideans: knowledge, Problems and Perspectives. Selected papers from "The world of Elephants" Congress, Rome. 126–128: 49–64. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2004.04.014. ISSN   1040-6182.
      9. ↑ Croitor, Roman (2018). Plio-Pleistocene Deer of Western Palearctic: Taxonomy, Systematics, Phylogeny. Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. ISBN   978-9975-66-609-1. OCLC   1057238213.
      10. ↑ Guérin, Claude. 1982. “Première Biozonation du Pléistocène Européen, Principal Résultat Biostratigraphique de l'Étude des Rhinocerotidae (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) du Miocène Terminal au Pléistocène Supérieur d'Europe Occidentale.” Geobios 15 (4): 593–98. DOI:10.1016/s0016-6995(82)80076-4
      11. ↑ Faure, Martine, and Claude Guérin. 1992. “La Grande Faune d'Europe Occidentale au Pléistocène Moyen et Supérieur et ses Potentialités d'Information en Préhistoire.” Mémoires de la Société Géologíque de France 160: 77–84.
      12. ↑ Agustí, Jordi, Salvador Moyà‐Solà, and Joan Pons‐Moyà. 1987. “La Sucesión de Mamíferos en el Pleistoceno Inferior de Europa: Proposición de Una Nueva Escala Bioestratigráfica.” Paleontología i Eovlució, mem. esp. 1: 287–95.
      13. ↑ van der, Made, J. (2018). Quaternary Large‐Mammal Zones. In The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences, S.L. López Varela (Ed.). doi:10.1002/9781119188230.saseas0486

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