Hipparion dispersal in Europe: magnetostratigraphic constraints from the Daroca area (Spain)

Abstract

The Nombrevilla section in the Calatayud-Daroca basin (Central Spain) bears one of the best late Aragonian to early Vallesian large and small vertebrate fossil records in Europe, including important findings of the equid Hipparion. Magnetostratigraphic dating of the Nombrevilla section thus provides further age constraints on the timing of Hipparion dispersal in Europe, a bioevent which defines the base of the Vallesian mammal stage. Correlation of the Nombrevilla magnetic polarity stratigraphy to the geomagnetic polarity time scale is supported by the identification of the characteristic long normal chron C5n in the upper half of the section,... (Ver más) in association with early Vallesian (early late Miocene) fossils. The classic mammal fossil site Nombrevilla 1, recording the earliest occurrence of Hipparion, correlates to the lower third of chron C5n, and yields an interpolated age of about 10.7-10.8 Ma. This age is in agreement with magnetostratigraphic dating of earliest occurrences in Siwaliks of Pakistan and some 40Ar/39Ar ages of Mediterranean sites. The youngest pre-Hipparion large mammal fossil record corresponds to Nombrevilla 9, a site wich approximately correlates to chron C5r.1n, at about 11.1 Ma. This result is nearly in conflict with the data from the Vallès-Penedès, where a Hipparion bearing site is correlated to the same chron. In addition, Nombrevilla 9 yields a small mammal assemblage which corresponds to local zone H, a biozone wich was classically correlated to the lower Vallesian. This implies a diachrony of about 300 kyr between the lower boundary of zone H and the first occurrence of Hipparion (base of the Vallesian) in the Calatayud-Daroca basin. Correlation of the Aragonian levels of Nombrevilla 2, 3 and 4 is not yet certain and would require further downward extension of the magnetostratigraphy in a neighbouring section. Nevertheless, we can confidently say these localities are younger than 11.6 Ma.