Biostratigraphy and sedimentary evolution of Late Miocene and Pliocene continental deposits of the Granada Basin (southern Spain)

TitleBiostratigraphy and sedimentary evolution of Late Miocene and Pliocene continental deposits of the Granada Basin (southern Spain)
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsGarcía-Alix, A., Minwer-Barakat R., Martín J. M., E Suárez M., & Freudenthal M.
JournalLethaia
Volume41
Pagination431-446
KeywordsBiostratigraphy, fossil small mammals, Granada Basin, Late Miocene, Pliocene, sedimentary evolution, Turolian–Ruscinian boundary.
Abstract

The Late Miocene and Pliocene continental sediments in the Granada Basin (southern Spain) have yielded large amounts of fossil small mammals in 37 localities from 11 sections. The aim of this paper is to integrate faunistic, stratigraphic, and sedimentary criteria to unravel the geological history of the continental infilling of the basin. The palaeontological study has led to a detailed biozonation on the basis of rodents, which helps to correlate in detail the different sedimentary units found in the basin, and to follow the changes of the different sedimentary systems and their palaeogeographical evolution through time. Combination of the proposed biostratigraphy and the reinterpretation of the magnetostratigraphic analyses of the Barranco del Purcal section allows us to assign an absolute age slightly older than 5.23 Ma to the Turolian–Ruscinian boundary (MN13-MN14)