Late Miocene biota from the Abad Member of the Carboneras-Nijar Basin (Spain, Andalusia): A bathyal fossil assemblage pre-dating the Messinian salinity crisis

Abstract The Miocene-Pliocene (Turolian-Ruscinian) transition represents a fundamental interval in the evolution of Euro-Mediterranean paleocommunities. In fact, the paleoenvironmental changes connected with the end of the Messinian salinity crisis are reflected by a major renewal in mammal faunal assemblages. An important bioevent among terrestrial large mammals is the dispersal of the genus Sus, which replaced all other suid species during the Pliocene. Despite its possible paleoecological and biochronological relevance, correlations based on this bioevent are undermined by the supposed persistence of the late surviving late Miocene Propotamochoerus provincialis. However, a recent revision of the type material of this species revealed an admixture with remains of Sus strozzii, an early Pleistocene (Middle Villafranchian to Epivillafranchian) suid, questioning both the diagnosis and chronological range of P. provincialis. Here we review the late Miocene Suidae sample recovered from the Casino Basin (Tuscany, central Italy), whose taxonomic attribution has been controversial over the nearly 150 years since its discovery. Following a comparison with other Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene Eurasian species, the Casino Suidae are assigned to P. provincialis and the species diagnosis is emended. Moreover, it is recognized that all the late Miocene (Turolian) European Propotamochoerus material belongs to P. provincialis and that there is no compelling evidence of the occurrence of this species beyond the Turolian-Ruscinian transition (MN13-MN14).

Download Full-text

The micromammal fauna from Negratín-1 (Guadix Basin, southern Spain): new evidence of African-Iberian mammal exchanges during the Late Miocene

Journal of Paleontology ◽

10.1666/09-009.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 83 (6) ◽

pp. 854-879 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Raef Minwer-Bararat ◽

Antonio García-Alix ◽

Jordi Agustí ◽

Elvira Martín Suárez ◽

Matthijs Freudenthal

Keyword(s):

North Africa ◽

Late Miocene ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Southern Spain ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

African Origin ◽

Mammal Fauna ◽

Faunal List ◽

First Time ◽

New Evidence

A rich and diverse micromammal fauna from the late Turolian (MN13) locality of Negratín-1 (Guadix Basin, southern Spain) is described. The faunal list of this site includes Apodemus gudrunae, Occitanomys alcalai, Stephanomys dubari, Paraethomys meini, Myocricetodon jaegeri, Debruijnimys almenarensis, Apocricetus alberti, Ruscinomys sp., Eliomys sp., Atlantoxerus sp., Parasorex ibericus, and Soricidae indet. This is the most nearly complete mammal fauna from the Miocene of the Guadix Basin and allows precise correlations with localities from other Iberian areas. In addition, some of the taxa identified in Negratín-1 are useful as palaeoecological indicators (Myocricetodon, Debruijnimys, Atlantoxerus), evidencing warm and dry climatic conditions. But the principal interest of the fauna from Negratín-1 is the presence of several species of African origin, the gerbillids Debruijnimys almenarensis and Myocricetodon jaegeri, which are recognized for the first time in Europe. We also ascribe to M. jaegeri the population from the upper Turolian karst infilling of Almenara-M. This finding constitutes new evidence for faunal exchanges between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula during the Messinian Salinity Crisis.

Download Full-text

Modelling global-scale climate impacts of the late Miocene Messinian Salinity Crisis

Climate of the Past Discussions ◽

10.5194/cpd-9-4807-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 4807-4853 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. F. Ivanovic ◽

P. J. Valdes ◽

R. Flecker ◽

M. Gutjahr

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Late Miocene ◽

General Circulation ◽

North Atlantic Ocean ◽

Global Scale ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

The North

Abstract. Late Miocene tectonic changes in Mediterranean–Atlantic connectivity and climatic changes caused Mediterranean salinity to fluctuate dramatically, including a ten-fold increase and near-freshening. Recent proxy- and model-based evidence suggests that at times during this Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.96–5.33 Ma), highly-saline and highly-fresh Mediterranean water flowed into the North Atlantic Ocean, whilst at others, no Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) reached the Atlantic. By running extreme, sensitivity-type experiments with a fully-coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model, we investigate the potential of these various MSC MOW scenarios to impact global-scale climate. The simulations suggest that MOW had a greater influence on North Atlantic Ocean circulation and climate than it does today. We also find that depending on the presence, strength and salinity of MOW, the MSC could have been capable of cooling mid-high northern latitudes by more than 1.2 °C, with the greatest cooling taking place in the Labrador, Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian and Barents Seas. With hypersaline-MOW, a component of North Atlantic Deep Water formation shifts to the Mediterranean, strengthening the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) south of 35° N by 3–7 Sv. With hyposaline-MOW, AMOC completely shuts down, inducing a bipolar climate anomaly with strong cooling in the North (up to −10.5 °C) and weaker warming in the South (up to +2.5 °C). These simulations identify key target regions and climate variables for future proxy-reconstructions to provide the best and most robust test cases for (a) assessing Messinian model performance, (b) evaluating Mediterranean–Atlantic connectivity during the MSC and (c) establishing whether or not the MSC could ever have affected global-scale climate.

Download Full-text

The Late Messinian salinity crisis and Late Miocene tectonism: Interaction and consequences on the physiography and post-rift evolution of the Gulf of Lions margin

Marine and Petroleum Geology ◽

10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2005.03.012 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 22 (6-7) ◽

pp. 695-712 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Christian Gorini ◽

Johanna Lofi ◽

Cédric Duvail ◽

Antonio Tadeu Dos Reis ◽

Pol Guennoc ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Miocene ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

Gulf Of Lions

Download Full-text

Discovery of vast fluvial deposits provides evidence for drawdown during the late Miocene Messinian salinity crisis

Geology ◽

10.1130/g45873.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 171-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Andrew S. Madof ◽

Claudia Bertoni ◽

Johanna Lofi

Keyword(s):

Late Miocene ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

Fluvial Deposits

Download Full-text

Latest Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic gateway restriction: The Atlantic's side of the story

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-82 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zhi Lin Ng ◽

Francisco Javier Hernández-Molina ◽

Débora Duarte ◽

Francisco Javier Sierro ◽

Santiago Ledesma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Miocene ◽

Seismic Interpretation ◽

Seismic Facies ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

The West ◽

Mediterranean Outflow Water ◽

Sedimentary Evolution ◽

Mediterranean Outflow ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Sedimentary Unit

<p>The closure of Late Miocene Mediterranean-Atlantic gateways and the restriction of Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) led to the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC), the dynamics of which is not well understood. However, restriction of the Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) is one of the prerequisites to generate hypersaline conditions for evaporitic deposition. During the Late Miocene, MOW circulation was active through a Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange of the Betic, Riffian, and possibly Gibraltar gateways. This connection is thought to have ceased or reduced with the onset of the MSC, before re-establishing through the Gibraltar gateway since the Pliocene to the present. In this study, we define the sedimentary evolution of the Neogene Basins of the Gulf of C&#225;diz to investigate MOW evolution during the latest Miocene. Seismic interpretation shows an Upper Messinian sedimentary unit of transparent seismic facies. It could also be found in the lower Guadalquivir and Gharb basins, and towards the West Portuguese margin. Biostratigraphic dating indicate an onset of deposition predating the MSC. Distribution of this transparent unit implicates the dominant deposition of hemipelagic/pelagic deposits during a period of quiescence in the Atlantic margins, subsequent to MOW disconnection. This suggests that weakening or cut-off of the intermediate bottom currents of the Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange through the Betic-Gibraltar-Riffian paleo-gateways precedes the onset of MSC evaporites. This work is crucial for the understanding of sedimentary, paleoceanographic and climatic implications of the Latest Miocene Mediterranean isolation in the Atlantic margins.</p>

Download Full-text

Hipparion material from Gaojiashan locality in the Late Miocene of Linxia Basin, Gansu, China and associated mammalian fossil assemblage

Historical Biology ◽

10.1080/08912963.2017.1315684 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 677-693

Author(s):

Yikun Li ◽

Wen He ◽

Shanqin Chen ◽

Shiqi Wang ◽

Boyang Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Miocene ◽

Fossil Assemblage ◽

Linxia Basin ◽

Mammalian Fossil

Download Full-text

Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Planktonic Foraminifera and Palaeoceanography of the North Atlantic

Journal of Micropalaeontology ◽

10.1144/jm.9.2.145 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 145-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter W. P. Hooper ◽

Brian M. Funnell ◽

Philip P. E. Weaver

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Late Miocene ◽

Planktonic Foraminifera ◽

Time Interval ◽

Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽

Dominant Form ◽

Early Pliocene ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

The North Atlantic

Abstract. Relative abundance variations of planktonic Foraminifera have been studied for the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene time interval of 7.0 to 3.5 Ma from three sites in the North East Atlantic; DSDP607 (41°N), DSDP609 (50°N) and DSDP611 (53°N), Particular attention has been given to the percentage of benthic Foraminifera of total (benthic + planktonic) Foraminifera as an index of dissolution by aggressive bottom waters, and to the percentage of dextral Neogloboquadrina pachyderma of total (dextral + sinistral) N. pachyderma as an index of “Sub-Polar” or warmer waters.Strong dissolution, probably associated with the northward penetration of aggressive Antarctic Bottom Water, is observed at two of the sites up to and during the initiation of the Messinian “Salinity Crisis” in the adjoining Mediterranean Sea at about 5.8 Ma. All three sites exhibit strong cyclic fluctuations of the percentage of dextral N. pachyderma during the Messinian “Salinity Crisis” interval, from approximately 5.8 Ma to 4.8 Ma. These are interpreted as indicating wide-ranging oscillations of a water mass boundary, analogous to the present-day Polar Front, in the North Atlantic during the “Salinity Crisis”. Following the re-filling of the Mediterranean with normal marine waters at about 4.8 Ma, the dextral form of N. pachyderma, which is more characteristic of warmer waters than the sinistral form, becomes the dominant form and shows less quantitative variation at all three sites throughout the Early Pliocene.

Download Full-text