Excavations at the Late Miocene MN9 (10.3 Ma) Locality of Höwenegg (Hegau), Southwest-Germany, 2004-2006 5-13 ©Staatl
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ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Carolinea - Beiträge zur naturkundlichen Forschung in Südwestdeutschland Jahr/Year: 2007 Band/Volume: 65 Autor(en)/Author(s): Munk Wolfgang, Bernor Raymond L., Heizmann Elmar P. J., Mittmann Hans-Walter Artikel/Article: Excavations at the Late Miocene MN9 (10.3 Ma) Locality of Höwenegg (Hegau), Southwest-Germany, 2004-2006 5-13 ©Staatl. Mus. f. Naturkde Karlsruhe & Naturwiss. Ver. Karlsruhe e.V.; download unter www.zobodat.at carolinea, 65 (2007): 5-13, 6 Abb., 4 Farbtaf.; Karlsruhe, 15.12.2007 5 Excavations at the Late Miocene MN9 (10.3 Ma) Locality of Höwenegg (Hegau), Southwest-Germany, 2004-2006 WOLFGANG MUNK, RAYMOND L. BERNOR, ELMAR P. J. HEIZMANN & HANS-WALTER MITTMANN Abstract als von JÖRG und TOBIEN geöffnet, in dem sich sowohl We provide a short history of the development of the Wirbeltierreste zeigten als auch ein Pfl anzen führender Höwenegg quarry between 1985 and 1996, the ra- Horizont freigelegt werden konnte. Die Grabungen in tionale for continuing the excavations in 2003, and the den Jahren 2005 und 2006 dienten zunächst dazu, progress made during the 2004-2006 campaigns. In eine neue Grabungsfl äche direkt oberhalb (westlich) the 2004 fi eld season we completed our excavation at an den Hauptprofi lschurf angrenzend zu erschließen. the western extent of the Main Höwenegg Trench, and Mit schwerem Gerät wurden auf über 100 m² Bäume retrieved a disturbed Miotragocerus skeleton in close und eine mehr als ein Meter dicke Schicht Waldboden proximity to the other two skeletons retrieved in 2003. abgeräumt und an den nun freiliegenden Höwenegg- We also opened a 5 m thick section in a trench 50 m Schichten die Grabung in stratigrafi schen Horizonten north of the JÖRG and TOBIEN Quarry, and established aufgenommen. Dabei wurde versucht, die Befunde mit the presence of vertebrate fossils and even richer de- JÖRG und TOBIEN’S Schichtbeschreibungen zu korre- posits of fossil plant material. The 2005 and 2006 fi eld lieren, und nach einer geodätischen Einmessung der seasons were dedicated to establishing and opening a Schichtenfolge und der Funde zu einem räumlichen new quarry adjacent to, and on the immediate western Modell der Fundstelle zu gelangen. Eine statistische border of the Main Höwenegg Trench. The establish- Auswertung der bisher während der Ausgrabungen ment of this new Western Quarry required extensive 2003-2006 gemachten Wirbeltierfunde zeigt, dass die support from the Town of Immendingen for cutting Schicht 11, ein heller Mergel, in dem 2003 und 2004 die down trees, removing a 1 m thick soil horizon with a Miotragocerus- und Trionyx-Skelette-Skelette gefunden wordenworden thick mat of roots, and undertaking trenching and bull- waren, bislang sowohl am fossilreichsten war als auch dozing of disturbed sediments. The Western Quarry, die höchste Diversität aller im Augenblick erschlosse- approximately 100 m² in area, was extensively exca- nen Höwenegg-Schichten aufwies. Diese Schicht wird vated by stratigraphic horizon, and initial correlations aber auf der neuen Grabungsfl äche erst während der to the JÖRG and TOBIEN stratigraphic section made. We Grabung im Jahr 2007 erreicht werden. provide here statistics on the relative percentages of biotic elements collected, and their representation in our excavations. These analyses demonstrate that Unit Autoren 11, a marl where the Miotragocerus and Trionyx skel- WOLFGANG MUNK, & HANS-WALTER MITTMANN, Staatliches etons were excavated in 2003 and 2004, is both the Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, D-76133 Karls- richest and contains the most diverse biotic elements ruhe, Erbprinzenstr. 13, E-Mail: wolfgang.munk@smnk. at the Höwenegg. These horizons were not excavated de, [email protected] in 2004-2006 in the new Western Quarry, but will be in RAYMOND L. BERNOR, College of Medicine, Department of the 2007 fi eld season. Anatomy, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Howard University, 520 W St., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20059, Kurzfassung USA, E-Mail: [email protected] Grabungen in der Spätmiozänen (MN9, 10,3 Mio. ELMAR P. J. HEIZMANN, Staatliches Museum für Naturkun- Jahre) Wirbeltierfundstelle Höwenegg (Hegau, Süd- de, 70191 Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, E-Mail: heizmann. westdeutschland) in den Jahren 2004-2006 [email protected] Nach einer kurzen Zusammenfassung der Aktivitäten an und um die Fossilfundstätte Höwenegg im Zeit- raum von 1985 bis 1996 und der Gründe, die im Jah- 1. Introduction re 2003 zur Wiederaufnahme der Grabungen geführt Fossil vertebrates were fi rst discovered at Hö- haben, wird über die Grabungskampagnen 2004 bis th 2006 berichtet. Während der Grabung 2004 wurden wenegg at the beginning of the 20 century, and die Arbeiten am Höwenegg-Hauptprofi lschurf weiter- the main site itself was discovered in 1936. It is geführt, wobei ein weiteres Skelett der Antilope Mio- renowned for its preservation of complete mam- tragocerus in der Nähe der beiden 2003 gefundenen malian skeletons, including a number of females geborgen werden konnte. Zusätzlich wurde ein weite- with fetuses lying in situ utero. The tridactyl horse rer Profi lschurf etwa 50 m nördlich des Grabungsare- Hippotherium primigenium, the archaic bosela- ©Staatl. Mus. f. Naturkde Karlsruhe & Naturwiss. Ver. Karlsruhe e.V.; download unter www.zobodat.at 6 carolinea, 65 (2007) phine antelope Miotragocerus pannoniae, and Town of Immendingen (Hegau). The discovery of the rhinoceros Aceratherium incisivum are all this skull represented important new evidence known from multiple skeletons, and a dicerorhine that complete, museum quality specimens still deer and a tragulid species are represented by existed within the Höwenegg deposits. Also in partial skeletons. Small mammals are also repre- 1991 MITTMANN was charged with databasing all sented by complete skeletons (Prolagus oenin- of TOBIEN’S original data on the original Höwenegg gensis; TOBIEN 1986) and with the successes of excavations. This included 3-dimensional coordi- our project, by teeth. A comprehensive history of nates from a fi xed point, still clearly identifi able the site was given by TOBIEN (1986). The impor- within the original quarry. This data will form the tance of the locality has been demonstrated to basis of a stratigraphic and spatial comparison of the public in several popular reports (RIETSCHEL et JÖRG and TOBIEN’S collections to ours. al., 1985, HÜNERMANN, 1995) and recent scientifi c The MHT was opened again in 1992 in prepara- meetings (BECHLY et al.,2005; BERNOR & HEIZMANN, tion for an on-site fi eld excursion by 25 scientists 2006). attending the Immendingen-Schloss Reisens- Until June, 2003 there had been no quarry-level berg symposium on the Evolution of Western fossil excavations undertaken at Höwenegg since Eurasian Neogene Mammal Faunas (BERNOR, 1965. Several groups of mammals have been FAHLBUSCH & MITTMANN, 1996). A review of the ge- studied since 1965: carnivores (DE BEAUMONT, ological context of the site and its importance for 1986), rhinoceroses (HÜNERMANN, 1982); chalico- reinterpreting the chronology of the “Hipparion theres (ZAPFE, 1989); hipparionine horses (BER- Datum” was provided by WOODBURNE et al. (1996). NOR et al., 1997). Yet, there were many outstand- A single crystal 40Ar/39Ar date of 10.3 +/- 0.19 Ma ing, unresolved issues about the Höwenegg site, was published by SWISHER (1996) based on his including further refi nement of its actual chrono- 1991 sampling at the site. At this juncture it was metric age, the sedimentologic and taphonomic apparent that initiating new investigations at Hö- regimes under which the vertebrate skeletons wenegg had the potential to yield important new were accumulated, the actual diversity of biotic data on the site. elements at Höwenegg and their distribution Field research was fi nally reinitiated at Höwenegg throughout the stratigraphic section. Ultimately, in the summer of 2003. Professor Dr. VOLKMAR we wish to achieve an integrated reconstruction WIRTH, director of the Staatliches Museum für of Höwenegg’s taphonomic and paleoenviron- Naturkunde, Karlsruhe (SMNK) authorized a mental contexts. So reconstructed, Höwenegg new, extensive fi eld campaign at Höwenegg. will become an even more important reference The campaign was organized in cooperation with locality for Central Europe, and facilitate Europe- the Stuttgart Natural History Museum (SMNS). an chronologic correlations, biogeographic and During the fi rst week of the 2003 excavation paleoenvironmental reconstructions. we discovered the distal limb elements of a Mio- In 1985 TOBIEN invited BERNOR to undertake col- tragocerus skeleton in the trench. In the second laborative studies of the Höwenegg hipparion, week we uncovered this specimen and found that Hippotherium primigenium (BERNOR et al., 1997). it was a complete skeleton (female with two full With funding awarded by NATO (to BERNOR) and term fetuses in situs utero). In addition to these DFG (to TOBIEN) work on the hipparions took individuals, we found abundant in situ remains of place. In order to better understand the geological molluscs, leaves, fruits and a new species of fos- context of the Höwenegg assemblage, Professor sil cervid. These results were amplifi ed upon in Dr. SIEGFRIED RIETSCHEL, director of the Staatliches an excavation report published in 2003 (HEIZMANN Museum für Naturkunde, Karlsruhe, organized a et al., 2003). three week excavation of a 10 m long, East-West Beyond the brief overview