0000000000057060

AUTHOR

María Lería

La Crisis de salinidad messiniense: el papel de los microfósiles durante 60 años de estudio

Para comprender fenómenos geológicos extremos, como la llamada Crisis de Salinidad del Messiniense (CSM), es necesario estudiarlos de forma multidisciplinar y a diferentes escalas. Para ello, se realizan desde estudios geofísicos del subsuelo, que abarcan grandes extensiones del fondo del mar, hasta estudios micropaleontológicos, utilizando microscopio electrónico de barrido. Los restos de organismos que vivieron ese evento geológico aportan una información muy valiosa para comprender la paleogeografía y el paleoambiente durante el Messiniense. Con ese objetivo, los paleontólogos y palinólogos estudian bajo el microscopio fósiles de fauna marina y continental, así como restos de flora en fo…

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Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals

Cueva Victoria has provided remains of more than 90 species of fossil vertebrates, including a hominin phalanx, and the only specimens of the African cercopithecid Theropithecus oswaldi in Europe. To constrain the age of the vertebrate remains we used paleomagnetism, vertebrate biostratigraphy and (230)Th/U dating. Normal polarity was identified in the non-fossiliferous lowest and highest stratigraphic units (red clay and capping flowstones) while reverse polarity was found in the intermediate stratigraphic unit (fossiliferous breccia). A lower polarity change occurred during the deposition of the decalcification clay, when the cave was closed and karstification was active. A second polarit…

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Evidence for an African-Iberian mammal dispersal during the pre-evaporitic Messinian

The accurate timing of biogeographic dispersal can be determined by examining the age of fossiliferous strata on either side of a physical barrier. Here we show that African mammals migrated to Iberia and European mammals migrated to North Africa at the same time before isolation of the Mediterranean Sea during the Messinian. The fossil site of Venta del Moro (Spain) exhibits western Europe’s most complete vertebrate fauna for the latest Miocene. Its uniquely cosmopolitan assemblage is evidence of faunal dispersals from Africa and Asia to Europe during the latest Miocene glaciation. A preliminary paleomagnetic study suggested an age of 5.8 Ma for this site, but our expanded magnetostratigra…

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