ELMMZ Neogen
ELMMZ is the abbreviation for "European Land Mammal Mega-Zones" and in geological history means the biostratigraphic subdivision of predominantly terrestrial sediments of the Cenozoic era in Europe with the help of land mammal remains. The division into bio-zones was carried out independently for Neogene and Palaeogene . Therefore a distinction between ELMMZ (Neogen) and ELMMZ (Palaeogen) is necessary. The term ELMMZ was proposed in 1999 to replace the old term ELMA ("European Land Mammal Ages"), since "Age" in the stratigraphic terminology is a term from geochronology while the biozones are defined purely biostratigraphically.
Dating problems
Relative dating of sediments from the Cenozoic era , which were mostly deposited on land, is difficult because the fossils used to define the chronostratigraphic levels are exclusively marine organisms that naturally do not occur in mainland sediments. Occasional marine advances ( transgressions ), documented by marine fossils, can provide initial clues for the relative dating of the sediments. An even finer subdivision of such sediments can, however, only be done by means of fairly common fossils, such as e.g. B. Land mammals. Remnants of small mammals can be quite common in Cenozoic terrestrial deposits. Not only bones are found, but above all teeth, which have an even better preservation potential than bones.
history
The attempt to subdivide the terrestrial deposits (especially the Neogene ) by means of mammalian remains has a long tradition. In 1865 defined Lorenzo Pareto the Villafranchian . Pierre My summed up 1975, the previous results together and proposed a subdivision of the Neogene in 17 zones in front, with the letters MN are referred to, with MN for " M ammals N is eogen".
Definition of the zones
The zones are each defined by the first appearance (FAD) of certain genera and / or species. A distinction is made between small and large mammals. These zones are defined purely biostratigraphically.
| Zones (Mill. Years) |
Small mammals | Large mammals |
|---|---|---|
| MN 17 (2.6-1.9) |
Kislangia gusi , Mimomys tornensis, Mimomys pliocaenicus , Mimomys reidi | Eucladoceros |
| MN 16 (3.4-2.6) |
Kislangia ischus , Mimomys polonicus , Kislangia cappettai , Mimomys hajnackensis |
Equus , Mammuthus , Homotherium , Megantereon , Ursus etruscus , Pliohyaena perrieri , Gazellospira torticornis , Arvernoceros ardei , Hesperidoceras merlai , Cervus perrieri |
| MN 15 (4.2-3.4) |
Mimomys occitanus , Oryctolagus , Mimomys vandemeuleni , Mimomys davakosi | Chasmaportetes lunensis |
| MN 14 (4.7-4.2) |
Promimomys , Trilophomys , Celadensia , Castor | Sus arvernensis , Croizetoceros , Acinonyx , Felis issiodorensis |
| MN 13 (7-4.7) |
Paraethomys , Rhagapodemnus , Stephanomys , Apodemus , Apocricetus | Parabos , Paracamelus , Agriotheirum , Apocricetus , Nyctereutes , Hexaprotodon |
| MN 12 (8.2-7) |
Parapodemus barbarae , Huerzelerimys turoliensis | Pliocervus , Hispanodorcas , Palaeoryx , Occitanomys adroveri , "Procapreolus" |
| MN 11 (9-8.2) |
Parapodemus lugdunensis , Huerzelerimys vireti , Occitanomys sondaari | Birgerbohlinia , Lucentia |
| MN 10 (9.5-9) |
Rotundomys , Pliopetaurista , Schreuderia , Progonomys cathalai | Hyaenictis almerai , Adcrocuta eximia , Microstonyx major , Tragoportax gaufryi |
| MN 9 (11.2-9.5) |
Cricetulodon | Hippotherium , Decennatherium , Machairodus |
| MN 7/8 (12.6-11.2) |
Megacricetodon ibericus , Megacricetodon gregarius | Parachleuastochoerus , Propotamochoerus , Palaeotragus , Protragocerus , Tetralophodon |
| MN 6 (15.2-12.6) |
Megacricetodon crusafonti , Megacricetodon gersi | Tethytragus , Hispanomeryx , Euprox , Listriodon |
| MN 5 (17-15.2) |
Megacricetodon collongensis | Miotragocerus , Micromeryx , Heteroprox , Hispanotherium |
| MN 4 (18-17) |
Megacricetodon primitivus | Bunolistriodon , Dorcatherium , Chalicotherium , Eotragus , Prodeinotherium |
| MN 3 (20-18) |
Gomphotherium , Procervulus , Lagomeryx , Actoocemas , Palaeomeryx , Brachyodus , Anchitherium , Aureliachoerus , Hemicyon | |
| MN 2 (22.8-20) |
Ligerimys , Prolagus , Lagopsis , Ritterneria manca | Teruelia , Lorancameryx , Oriomeryx , Pseudaelurus , Xenohyus , Andegameryx , Amphitragulus |
| MN 1 (23-22.8) |
Rhodanomys schlosseri , Vasseuromys | Hyotherium |
Breakdown
The terrestrial neogene in Europe is divided into seven regional "levels" and 17 zones. While the zones are defined biostratigraphically, the levels in contemporary literature are a mixture of regional, biostratigraphic, chronostratigraphic and geochronological units. Steininger (1999) recommends a predominantly biostratigraphic definition of these levels (from top to bottom):
- Villafranchian (MN comprises the zones 16, 17 and MNQ1) (ca. 3.4 to 1.1 million. Years)
- Ruscinium (zones MN 14 and 15) (approx. 4.7-3.4 million years)
- Turolium (zones MN 11-13) (approx. 9-4.7 million years)
- Vallesium (Zones MN 9 and 10) (approx. 11.2-9 million years)
- Astaracium (zones MN 6 and 7/8) (approx. 15.2-11.2 million years)
- Orleanium (zones MN 3 to 5) (approx. 20-15.2 million years)
- Agenium (zones MN 1 and 2) (approx. 23-20 million years)
The boundaries of the zones and the levels are e.g. Some of them are still very uncertain and are still being discussed controversially. At the same time, the aragonium grade (18 to 11.2 million years old) is often used.
literature
- George D. Koufos, Dimitris S. Kostopoulos and Theodora D. Vlachou: Neogene / Quaternary mammalian migrations in Eastern Mediterranean. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 135 (2): 181-190, Gent 2005, ZDB -ID 1047512-6
- J. Agustí, L. Cabrera, M. Garcés, W. Krijgsman, O. Oms, JM Parés: A calibrated mammal scale for the Neogene of Western Europe. State of the art. Earth Science Reviews, 52: 247-260, Amsterdam 2001, ISSN 0012-8252
- Pierre Mein: 1975. Report on activity RCMNS-Working groups, 1971–1975. Pp. 78-81, Bratislava.
- Everett Lindsay: Eurasian mammal biochronology: an overview. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 133: 117-128, Amsterdam 1997, ISSN 0031-0182
- Fritz F. Steininger: Chronostratigraphy, Geochronology and Biochronology of the Miocene "European Land Mammal Mega-Zones" (ELMMZ) and the Miocene "Mammal Zones (MN-Zones)" . In: Gertrud E. Rössner & Kurt Heissig (Eds.): The Miocene Land Mammals of Europe. P. 9–24, Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-931516-50-4