A review of the upper Campanian vertebrate site of Armuña (Segovia Province,Spain)

The Upper Cretaceous outcrops of Armuña (Segovia Province, Spain) yielded relatively abundant material of vertebrates during prospection and excavation in the second half of the 1980s. However, little has been published on these remains. A new analysis of the specimens from this upper Campanian site reveals the presence of some clades in the site for the first time (e.g., Dortokidae, Anguimorpha, Mosasauroidea). Furthermore, the material of the clades previously recognized there has been reviewed and described in more detail, with some previous systematic attributions confirmed and others refuted. Consequently, a relatively high local diversity has been identified. New taxa (i.e., a member of Anguimorpha and a eusuchian crocodyliform) are identified in Armuña, coexisting with other taxa previously described in other sites from the Iberoarmorican Realm. The vertebrates from Armuña confirm that the fauna from the Upper Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula is composed of a mixture of European endemic clades and lineages shared with other continents such as North America (e.g., anguimorphs) and Africa (e.g., bothremydids).     

Iberian Plio‐Pleistocene biochronology: micromammalian evidence for MNs and ELMAs calibration in southwestern Europe

A multivariate biochronological analysis of the Plio‐Pleistocene Iberian rodent fossil record is presented. Among more than 300 fossil sites, 49 sites have been selected. The ordination of the fossil sites selected from the Iberian Peninsula has been achieved by the appearance event ordination method. After calibration of this ordination with geochronological dates at some of the localities, numerical dates are proposed for all the localities studied. Hence, mammal fossil sites non‐datable by other means (palaeomagnetism, radiometric dating, etc.) have been dated with a relatively high degree of confidence. Final results allow dating of boundaries between the Plio‐Pleistocene European Land Mammal Ages (ELMAS) or the Mammal Neogene (MN) units. These boundaries agree with previous studies using magnetostratigraphical calibration of these scales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Age of the Vallesian lower boundary (Continental Miocene of Europe)

The Vallesian lower boundary and “Hipparion-datum” are estimated as ranging in age from 11.2 to 10.7 Ma in Central to Western Europe and Western Asia. Judging from complete sections of Sarmatian marine sediments in the Tamanskii Peninsula and Transcaucasia with known paleomagnetic characteristics, the above dates correspond to the lower upper Sarmatian (Khersonian) of the Eastern Paratethys, although in Moldova and Ukraine the earliest hipparion remains are associated with the middle Sarmatian (Bessarabian) sediments. The normally magnetized middle Sarmatian deposits in hipparion localities of Moldova are correlative with an upper part of Chron C5An (upper boundary 11.9 Ma old) or, less likely, with Subchron C5r2n (base 11.5 Ma old). Consequently, the first occurrence of hipparions in southeastern Europe is recorded in the Middle Miocene, i.e., 0.7 m.y. (or 0.3 m.y.) earlier than the date of 11.2 Ma formerly accepted for the Vallesian lower boundary in Europe. Possible reasons for disagreements in age determination of the Vallesian base are discussed.     

A coastal reservoir of terrestrial resources for neanderthal populations in north‐eastern Iberia: palaeoenvironmental data inferred from the small‐vertebrate assemblage of Cova del Gegant,Sitges, Barcelona

Coastal areas as reservoirs of resources for hominid groups have been widely studied in recent years. These areas combine marine with terrestrial and wetland resources and would have been optimum sites for hominids, including Neanderthals. This is the case with the Cova del Gegant, a cave that today opens directly onto the Mediterranean Sea and is located in the north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula. The geomorphological evolution of the Massis del Garraf has provided evidence that during the late Pleistocene there was a littoral platform between 8 and 13 km wide in front of the Cova del Gegant. Within this framework, the data derived from analysis of the small vertebrates and large mammals recovered from Cova del Gegant, including taxa currently absent from the Massis del Garraf, suggest that the landscape surrounding the cave provided a richer terrestrial ecosystem for Neanderthals than is available in this zone today. Analysis of the small‐vertebrate association from the cave reveals that the landscape surrounding the cave was dominated by woodland‐edge and open environments and that the climate was Mediterranean. The results have been compared with the only Iberian site with similar characteristics to the Cova del Gegant, Gorham's cave (southern Iberia, Gibraltar), revealing differences and similarities in the landscape and climate on the basis of the small‐mammal assemblages as well as the differences in the accessibility to terrestrial mammalian resources for the Neanderthal groups. The landscape and the climate were reasonably similar at the two sites, but the differences in the accessibility of resources for the Neanderthals are directly related to the location of the sites and the coastal position. Whereas the Cova del Gegant was on a route of mammal migration (between the Ebro Valley and France) suited for securing terrestrial resources, Gorham's cave is located on a small peninsula with a lower abundance of terrestrial mammal resources. This is probably why the Neanderthal groups at Gorham's cave exploited marine resources, whereas there is no evidence of marine resources having been exploited at Cova del Gegant, even though the seashore was nearby. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Southern dispersal and Palaeoecological implications of woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis): review of the Iberian occurrences

Cold-adapted large mammal populations spread southward during the coldest and driest phases of the Late Pleistocene reaching the Iberian Peninsula. Presence of woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) can be identified from 23 Iberian sites, which is compiled and analyzed herein, and the fossil specimens from seven of these sites are described here for first time.Morphological and biometrical analyses demonstrate that the Iberian woolly rhinoceros did not significantly differ from individuals of other European populations, but represent the westernmost part of a continuous Eurasian belt of distribution.The first presence of woolly rhino in the Iberian Peninsula has been identified during the late Middle Pleistocene and early Late Pleistocene. However, the highest abundance of this species is recorded during MIS 3 and 2. The latest Iberian occurrences can be dated around 20 ka BP. The presence of woolly rhinoceros in the Iberian Peninsula correlates with periods of extreme dry and cold climatic conditions documented in Iberian terrestrial and marine sediment sequences.From a palaeobiogeographic point of view, the maximum southern spread of C. antiquitatis on the Iberian Peninsula was registered during the late Middle Pleistocene or early Late Pleistocene, reaching the latitude of Madrid (about 40°N). Subsequently, during MIS 3 and 2, all Iberian finds were restricted to the Northern regions of Iberia (Cantabrian area and Catalonia). The southern expansion of C. antiquitatis during the Late Pleistocene in the Iberian Peninsula reached similar latitudes to other Eurasian regions.The ecological composition of fossil assemblages with presence of woolly rhinoceros was statistically analyzed. Results show that temperate ungulate species are predominant at Iberian assemblages, resulting in a particular mixture of temperate and cold elements different of the typical Eurasian cold-adapted faunal associations. This particular situation suggests two possible explanations: a) Eventual migrations during the coldest time spans, resulting in a mixing of cold and temperate faunas, instead a faunal replacing; b) Persistence of woolly rhinoceros populations in the Iberian Peninsula during interglacial episodes confined at cryptic southern refugia.     

Turtles from the Lower Cretaceous of the Cameros Basin (Iberian Range, Spain)

Knowledge of the turtle fauna from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula has been very limited until now. There are several fossil sites where Lower Cretaceous associations of continental vertebrates have been found. Although turtles have been identified in some of them, most of these specimens have not been studied, so the diversity is unknown. Among all these findings, the turtles from the Cameros Basin are considered particularly relevant, both in their abundance and diversity. Their study has allowed the identification of several taxa. At least one representative of Solemydidae and three taxa of Eucryptodira are recognized. This study establishes kinship and biogeographic relationships between the taxa in Cameros with those found in other Spanish fossil sites and with those of other European regions.     

The turtles from the uppermost Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Galve (Iberian Range,Spain): Anatomical,systematic, biostratigraphic and palaeobiogeographical implications

The faunal associations of the uppermost Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Villar del Arzobispo, El Castellar, and Camarillas formations of the Spanish town of Galve (Maestrazgo Basin of the Iberian Range) are composed of more than fifty taxa belonging to Chondrichthyes, bony fishes, lissamphibians, mammals, and reptiles. Although the presence of turtles has been recognized in these three formations, being very abundant, the published information is limited. The detailed study of these turtles allows us to recognize at least nine taxa, several of them previously not identified in the Spanish record. These taxa correspond to stem Testudines (Solemydidae), members of Paracryptodira (Pleurosternidae), several representatives of Plesiochelyidae and taxa closely related with this clade, representatives of the stem group of Cryptodira (Xinjiangchelyidae) and members of crown Cryptodira. The chelonian fauna of Galve increases the systematic, anatomical, biostratigraphic, and paleobiogeographic knowledge on several clades, represented by taxa shared with other European regions, clades also present in Early Cretaceous sites of North America or Asia, as well as taxa exclusive of the Iberian record.     

伊比利亚型——一种新类型块状硫化物矿床地质地球化学及成因

块状硫化物矿床主要有两种类型：火山岩容矿型（如日本黑矿）和沉积岩容矿型（如加拿大苏利文矿床）。近年来,在西班牙和葡萄牙的伊比利亚区发现了一条长２５０ｋｍ,宽２５～７０ｋｍ的黄铁矿带,其中产有若干世界级的超大型锡多金属块状硫化物矿床。根据对这些矿床的地质特征、成矿流体包裹体、Ｈ、Ｏ、Ｓ、Ｐｂ同位素及成矿环境和成矿模式的研究表明,它们具有明显不同于火山岩深矿型沉积岩容矿型块状硫化物矿床的特征,而一种新     

A late Early Pleistocene pollen record from Fontana Ranuccio (central Italy)

A pollen record from a sediment core drilled underneath the Acheulian site of Fontana Ranuccio provides new data on the vegetation characters in central Italy during the late Early Pleistocene, in a forest phase possibly corresponding to a substage of Marine Isotope Stage 21. A number of tree taxa nowadays extinct in Europe (Cathaya, Tsuga, Taxodium type, Carya and Pterocarya) are present at Fontana Ranuccio in a temperate phase characterised by dense forest conditions, dominated by Alnus and Pterocarya. The comparison of the Fontana Ranuccio record with other dated sites distributed along the Italian peninsula indicates that the floristic and vegetational characters of the Mid Pleistocene revolution present a rather distinct succession of biostratigraphic events. Compared to other Early Pleistocene pollen records from southern Europe, the Italian Peninsula shows greater floristic similarities with the Eastern Mediterranean regions than with the Iberian Peninsula. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New evidence for the presence of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) on the Iberian Peninsula in the Pleistocene: an archaeopalaeontological and chronological reassessment

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) populations reached the Iberian Peninsula during the end of the Middle Pleistocene and there are numerous examples of this species from Late Pleistocene Mousterian and Upper Palaeolithic sites. In this paper, new evidence of reindeer in the east Cantabrian region is presented that further supports the timing of this species’ first appearance, and previous assessments are updated. To date, the presence of this species has been identified at 55 sites in the Iberian Peninsula, nearly as many as those of mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) combined. Most of the sites with presence of reindeer (50) are located in the Cantabrian region with a clear increase in the density of sites and remains towards the Pyrenees. The remaining five sites with evidence of reindeer are located on the other side of the Pyrenees in the NW corner of Catalonia. In contrast, archaeological evidence of reindeer in the form of art (both parietal and portable) is more scarce and scattered. Evidence for the representation of these animals has been found outside the northern fringe of the Iberian Peninsula, which could reflect either long‐distance cultural communication or the movement of human groups.     

Sr and Nd isotope data from the fluorspar district of Asturias, northern Spain

The origin and age of the hydrothermal fluids related to the precipitation of fluorite, barite and calcite in the Villabona, La Collada and Berbes localities (Asturias fluorspar district, N Spain) have been evaluated from Sr and Nd radiogenic isotopes. Sr isotope data (⁸⁷Sr / ⁸⁶Sr = 0.7081 to 0.7096) are compatible with mixing between seawater and a more evolved groundwater that interacted with the basement. From Nd isotopes in fluorite, an isochron age of 185 ± 29 Ma (Lower Jurassic) was obtained, consistent with other hydrothermal events in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. These constraints are essential to proceed with a quantitative model for the genesis of the mineralization that includes fluid and heat flow together with reactive transport of solutes.     

欧洲白垩纪非海相软体动物及其地层分布

本文综述了欧洲白垩纪非海相软体动物群,列出了主要产自英格兰南部、法国和西班牙早白垩世的16个不同沉积层的59个分类单元。淡水动物群以珠蚌类双壳类和田螺类腹足类为主,但在有些地点也存有肺螺类腹足类。这些化石类群与现代类型很相似,说明白垩纪淡水中的水草、氧气与营养环境良好。在欧特里沃期和巴列姆期,淡水与边缘海环境中的动物群组成都发生了显著的变化。欧洲的淡水生物群落早在巴列姆期就已存在,此时的有些类群,如著名的Mar garitifera(s.l.)valdensis在欧洲西部有着广泛的分布。英格兰南部的早白垩世韦尔登群被认为是欧洲最连续的非海相白垩纪地层,其上部的生物群可与西班牙的LasHoyas动物群和法国的Wassy动物群相对比。这3个动物群,以及法国侏罗(汝拉)和英格兰南部波倍克的侏罗纪-白垩纪的过渡生物群——Purbeck动物群,是了解欧洲白垩纪淡水动物群的关键动物群。     

Tetrapods from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian–Maastrichtian) Bauru Group of Brazil: a reappraisal

An updated, annotated list of all tetrapods from the Adamantina, Uberaba and Marília formations (Bauru Group), which constitute some of the best studied Upper Cretaceous units in Brazil, is presented. Tetrapod diversity in the Bauru Group is remarkable, including an admixture of typically austral Gondwanan taxa (e.g., abelisaurids, notosuchians) and boreal Gondwanan forms (e.g., carcharodontosaurids). Of note is the absence of Laurasian taxa in the upper portion of the Bauru Group. With the exception of some turtles, an anuran, mesoeucrocodylians and one titanosaur, most taxa from the Bauru Group are based on fragmentary and isolated bones, and as such many specimens can be identified only to a higher taxonomic level. Fishes, turtles, anurans, mesoeucrocodylians, dinosaurs, birds and mammals from the Adamantina and Marília formations resemble the latest Late Cretaceous vertebrate faunas from southern South America, except for the absence of ornithischian dinosaurs.     

Lower Cretaceous Mesoeucrocodylians from Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden)

The crocodyliform faunas of the lowermost Cretaceous Rabekke and Jydegård Formations on the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark, and the Annero Formation of Skåne, southernmost Sweden, are represented by isolated teeth, osteoderms, and vertebrae. The rich Berriasian assemblage of the Rabekke Formation includes at least three distinctive taxa: Bernissartia sp., Theriosuchus sp., and Goniopholis sp., an association that is also known from several other contemporaneous European vertebrate localities. In contrast to this fauna, the Jydegård and Annero Formations have yielded only rare mesoeucrocodylian remains, which are assigned to Theriosuchus sp. and an undetermined mesoeucrocodylian taxon, possibly Pholidosaurus. Geographically, the Scandinavian localities represent the easternmost and northernmost distribution of typical continental Jurassic-Cretaceous crocodyliform communities in Europe.     

A newly dated Cretaceous hydrothermal event in the Iberian Ranges (Eastern Spain) and its significance within the Mesozoic thermal history in the Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula hosts the world-class Hg mining district of Almadén. Besides pre-Hercynian ore bodies, alpine-cycle Hg-bearing veins are also present in the eastern Iberian Ranges (Espadán deposits). We present both the first absolute ages (84±4 and 85±3 Ma) for a post-Hercynian Hg deposit in Spain, obtained from primary muscovites, and a complete compilation of published Mesozoic radiometric absolute ages of the Iberian Peninsula. We deduce that there are three main thermal episodes that affected the Iberian Peninsula, which have been revealed after the comparison among the magmatic, metamorphic and hydrothermal ages. Moreover, the Espadán hydrothermal system was active when both the Cretaceous alkalic magmatism took place in Southern Portugal and in the Pyrenees, and during the opening of the Bay of Biscay.     

The Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in southern Iberia

New data and a review of historiographic information from Neolithic sites of the Malaga and Algarve coasts (southern Iberian Peninsula) and from the Maghreb (North Africa) reveal the existence of a Neolithic settlement at least from 7.5 cal ka BP. The agricultural and pastoralist food producing economy of that population rapidly replaced the coastal economies of the Mesolithic populations. The timing of this population and economic turnover coincided with major changes in the continental and marine ecosystems, including upwelling intensity, sea-level changes and increased aridity in the Sahara and along the Iberian coast. These changes likely impacted the subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic populations along the Iberian seascapes and resulted in abandonments manifested as sedimentary hiatuses in some areas during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. The rapid expansion and area of dispersal of the early Neolithic traits suggest the use of marine technology. Different evidences for a Maghrebian origin for the first colonists have been summarized. The recognition of an early North-African Neolithic influence in Southern Iberia and the Maghreb is vital for understanding the appearance and development of the Neolithic in Western Europe. Our review suggests links between climate change, resource allocation, and population turnover.     

Magnetostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy of the Laño vertebrate-site: Implications in the uppermost Cretaceous chronostratigraphy of the Basque-Cantabrian Region

Here we present the magnetostratigraphic dating of the Laño locality (Condado de Treviño, northern Iberian Peninsula), one of the most noteworthy Campanian-Maastrichtian vertebrate sites of Europe. A composite section of 75 m thickness (Laño quarry) constructed from multiple, overlapping profiles and a continuous one (Faido) have been sampled for magnetostratigraphy. Thermal demagnetization techniques were systematically applied to 161 standard specimens and allowed characterizing the characteristic remanent magnetism, mostly carried out by magnetite. The palaeomagnetic signal is slightly scattered due to variety of lithologies, but the primary character can be guaranteed, since the normal and reverse directions are pseudo antiparallel; 346, 28 (α₉₅: 11.9°, k: 5.3) and 175, −35 (α₉₅: 16.4°, k: 4.6). Reliable samples allowed us to build the local polarity sequence made of eight magnetozones that has been used to correlate to the Global Polarity Time Scale. The age of the lower part of the Laño-village succession is basal late Campanian (Hoplitoplacenticeras marroti ammonite zone) and fits with the long reversed zone that must correlate to Chron C33r. The pattern of magnetozones allows tracking the section up to C30r at the upper part of the profile. In this correlation, the Laño vertebrate site is regarded as latest Campanian in age as it falls within the C32n (≈72–73.5 Ma). The combined lithostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic analyses have yielded additional conclusions regarding the vertebrate assemblages that are representative of the Late Campanian of the Iberian Peninsula, in addition to highlight an older occurrence in Europe of some vertebrate groups such as salamandrid lissamphians and anguid lizards (or amphisbaenians).     

New fossil anurans from the Lower Cretaceous Sasayama Group of Hyogo Prefecture,Western Honshu,Japan

We describe two well-preserved and articulated fossil anurans excavated from the Lower Cretaceous Sasayama Group in Hyogo Prefecture, Western Honshu, Japan, as new taxa on the basis of unique combinations of character states. We performed a phylogenetic analysis that included these new taxa, as well as Mesozoic and archaic anurans. This analysis strongly supports the monophyly of each of the two new taxa, both of which are placed in more derived positions than extant leiopelmatids or Liaobatrachus from the Lower Cretaceous in China. Anuran specimens from the Tetori Group of Japan are not assigned to the two new taxa, suggesting that at least three anuran taxa were present in Japan during the Early Cretaceous. These Japanese representatives are not closely related to known fossil anurans from Eastern Eurasia, unlike recently described Cretaceous lizards from these two regions.     

Preliminary data on a new Albian flora from the Valle del Río Martín, Teruel, Spain

A newly discovered plant fossil assemblage in the Albian Escucha Formation, located at Valle del Río Martín (Teruel, Spain), shows similarities with the classic early Cretaceous flora of the Potomac Group in the USA. This is the first time that a flora of this age and composition has been found in Spain. It comprises representatives of ferns, Ginkgoales, Bennettitales, Caytoniales, conifers and angiosperms and suggests a possible mixing of the European and Potomac provinces in the early Cretaceous within the Iberian Peninsula, in a subtropical, semi-arid climate.     

A site amplification factor map of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands

Considering the lack of site effect cartography in the Iberian Peninsula region to be related to the strong motion data, we present a site amplification factor map covering the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Steps leading to produce the map have included the classification of geological units from the 1:1,000,000 scale Geological Map of Spain into six site classes characterized on a seismic response basis, and the calculation, for every site class, of both short-period and mid-period amplification factors. In order to test the validity and applicability of the map, we have calculated the synthetic seismic intensity in the particular localities where several past earthquakes were felt, supposing a point source approximation. The synthetic intensities have been obtained with and without site amplification factors, resulting in two types of synthetic isoseismals maps that have been compared with the corresponding observed isoseismals. As the amplification factors obtained are only applicable to the linear domain, the synthetic intensities greater than VII are only illustrative. A main conclusion has been drawn about the fact that synthetic isoseismals with site amplification factor approach to the related observed isoseismals in a higher degree than synthetic isoseismals without site amplification factor. In addition, the resemblances between the synthetic isoseismals produced with site amplification factors and the corresponding observed isoseismals have been found to be more evident at shorter epicentral distances, provided that intensities are lower than VIII, and therefore, we remain in the linear domain.