CHAPTER16

CONTINENTAL TERTIARY BASINS AND ASSOCIATED DEPOSITS OF ARAGÓN AND CATALUNYA

Aragonian type series (stratotype) behind the village of Villafeliche, near the Jiloca river.

Élez, J. One of the main problems in stratigraphy and paleon- surrounded by orogens (overthrusted units of the tology is the correlation between the sediments and Pyrenees to the north, the Iberian Mountain Range to faunas of continental and marine origin, originated the south, and the Catalan-Coastal Mountain Range by the difficulty to establish a parallelism between to the east). It responds to a general compression gen- the respective biostratigraphic scales. That is why the erated as a consequence of the shortening between stratigraphy of the continental Tertiary basins and the the Iberian and European plates. In this basin there associated vertebrate deposits in Aragón and Cataluña is an important paleontological area forming a wide are of great international relevance. fringe parallel to the Catalan orogen and attached to the Catalan-Coastal Mountain Range. There are some The Lower Tertiary (Paleogene) continental series of other more scattered but less important areas in the Aragón and Cataluña, with good exposures and abun- interior, both of Cataluña and Aragón. dant deposits, are exceptional cases in the European framework as their biostratigraphy is correlatable to The other model of continental Tertiary sedimenta- marine sediments. In the Upper Tertiary (Neogene), its tion for these regions corresponds to the so called importance is even bigger, since unique stratigraphic intramontane basins, with smaller tectonic graben or series crop out with numerous deposits which allowed semigraben morphologies and filled faster. As a norm, a better accuracy in the continental time scales. As these basins display less transport and a relatively fast a consequence, five continental stages now widely sedimentation, less time duration, and a basic pH (car- used were set in Aragón and Cataluña which, based bonate environments), all of which provide a better on the quality of their record, are a world reference for preservation of the fossil record. The most important Neogene vertebrate paleontology. Tertiary vertebrate deposits of Aragón and Cataluña are predominantly found within these intramontane The exceptional importance of the studies carried out basins. in these continental Tertiary basins and the associated vertebrate deposits, as well as the results obtained Some Tertiary basins stand out among these intra- from them, give meaning to the selection of these montane basins due to the relevance and signifi- regions as one of the few areas in the world with a cance of their stratigraphic sequences and vertebrate geological and paleontological record of the natural deposits. These are the basins of Tremp, Ager, Campo, history of the last 60 million years. Pobla de Segur, Seu de Urgell and Cerdanya in the Pyrenean Domain; Vallès Penedés and Capins in the The continental Tertiary basins of the Iberian Peninsula Catalan-Coastal Mountain Range; Calatayud-Daroca (Figure 1) follow two models: large compressional and Teruel in the Iberian Domain; and Almazán in the basins, and smaller intramontane basins generated in Duero River Basin. a usually transtensional regime (oblique convergence in extensional regime). A brief geological setting for each of the main Tertiary sedimentary basins of Aragón and Cataluña The Ebro Basin belongs to the first type, with a con- will be offered below, specifying the significance of tinuous sedimentation for long time periods, and their stratigraphic series, some of them regarded as

Figure 1. Tertiary basins described in the text: 1) Calatayud-Montalbán and Teruel; 2) Vallès Penedés; 3) Almazán.

164 Élez, J. European stratotypes for continental stages, and with multituberculates were very likely the first European the added paleontological-biostratigraphical interest herbivore mammals. They appeared in the Upper of the vertebrate remains they hold. Jurassic and became extinct during the Oligocene. This deposit, together with those from Campo and Claret, The Pyrenean Basins were formed by the dynamics of form the best and almost only mammal deposits in the Pyrenean orogen and show a Paleogene sedimen- the Spanish Paleocene, and the rest of Europe (López tary filling with marine influence, and a fully continen- Martínez, 1998). tal Neogene (Figure 2). In the region of the Noguera Pallaresa, Ager basin, Garum facies deposits (red sediments in continental Terradets, Isábena basin, Bages, Moiá basin, and facies) are frequent in the Paleogene. Here there is Igualada basin, there are large areas with impor- a good fossil record in relation to the European one. tant Eocene deposits. The Upper Eocene deposits of With regard to the Neogene, the fossil record is scarce Pobla de Segur (López Martínez, 1998), the deposits and its biggest interest is for paleobotany. of Sossís, Roc de Santa and Claverol, are exception- ally thick, and provided the first data about the age The Fontllonga deposit (Figure 3), in the Tremp basin of the Pyrenees. The Middle Eocene of Casa Ramón (Peláez Campomanes et al., 2000), includes the oldest (Huesca), with its fossil primates and rodents, must Tertiary mammal of the European record, a multitu- also be noted. berculate, just atop the Cretaceous- Tertiary boundary (K/T) marking the disappearance of the dinosaurs. The

Figure 3, right. Section of the Fontllonga deposit, immediately below the sandstone bar.

Figure 2, below. Geological context of the Spanish Pyrenean Tertiary basins.

CONTINENTAL TERTIARY BASINS AND ASSOCIATED DEPOSITS OF ARAGÓN AND CATALUNYA 165 Figure 4. Geological scheme of the Ebro basin and distribution of Tertiary sediments (in yellow).

Figure 5. Distribution of Tertiary sediments in the Figure 6. The Tertiary basins of Calatayud-Montalbán Vallés Penedés basin. and Teruel.

The Ebro Basin (Figure 4) is overthrusted by the Sequences from the uppermost Eocene (San Cugat Pyrenean orogen on its northern flank and by the de Gavaldons) to the Lower Miocene (Santa Cilia) Iberian Mountain Range on the south. It shows a were established with a good stratigraphic control sedimentary record from the Oligocene to the Upper for the eastern Catalonian part of the Ebro basin. Miocene, behaving as a big endorheic continental It is possible to observe, as a paleoenvironmental basin, very subsident and with large terrigenous result of Eocene and Oligocene climates and depo- input. The deposits in the eastern zone correspond sitional systems, the frequent apparition of marine mainly to alluvial and lacustrine facies. From the late mammals (sirenids) in the deposits of the Ebro basin, Miocene onwards, the basins became exorheic. which proves the marine influence. This is also rela- tively common in the deposits of the provinces of The Paleogene vertebrate deposits of the Ebro Basin Barcelona, Tarragona and Lleida, forming what was are particularly interesting along a strip parallel to called the Iberian Mangrove. the Catalanides, comprising from Fraga to Lérida and Tárrega. This geosite is of international relevance as it With regard to the smaller vertebrates, the deposits in is one of the few places with a continuous continental lithographic limestones must be noted, which include sequence of the Upper Eocene and Oligocene. The fish, reptiles, amphibians and, in some cases, plants deposits in the Neogene are more disperse and, even and insects. Important examples are Sarreal in the Ager if some are exceptionally productive, there is not such basin, with fish, insects and plants in an exceptional an extraordinary fossil abundance as in the area of preservation state, the Eocene deposits with piranhas Vallès Penedés or Calatayud-Teruel. and other fossil fish in La Masía del Hereuet, as well as

166 Élez, J. The filling of the basin is formed by a succession of continental deposits of Paleogene through early Pliocene age. Around Montalbán, there are splendid Paleogene sections with abundant fossil deposits spanning through the end of the Oligocene.

The Neogene is also very well represented. The modern landscape, typical of semiarid regions, with abundant ravines and ramblas, favours the existence of magnifi- cent geological exposures. This, and the fact that the Miocene deposits were laid in environments favorable for fossil preservation (lacustrine, paludal and fluvial facies), justifies the enormous concentration of mam- mal deposits in this area. Only one Pliocene unit has been recognized, and its presence is restricted to the Figure 7. The village of Villafeliche. In the background southern part of the basin. in white colour the Tertiary series where the Aragonian has been defined. The Aragonian stage (Daams et al., 1977) was defined in the type section of the Rambla de Vargas (Villafeliche, Figure 7) and comprises the time interval others such as Santa Cilia or Galocha in Huesca, with between 17 and 11 million years. In the northwest a high content of paleoflora. area of the basin, the section of Armantes has been completely dated as Aragonian. The lower limit of the The Basin of Vallès Penedés (Figure 5) is a rather Aragonian, which was first defined by the first record asymmetric tectonic graben in the middle of the of Anchiterium (Perissodactyla), was later changed Catalanides, with a trend slightly oblique to the coast and defined by the presence of the first modern crice- and bounded by faults. The oldest rocks crop out in tids. The Aragonian upper limit and Vallesian lower Campins (continental Upper Oligocene). These are limit were determined based on the first record of followed by two big continental episodes: one of Hipparion (Perissodactyla). Lower-Mid Miocene red deposits (oxidizing environ- ment) and another Upper Miocene-Pliocene with a The basin of Teruel forms a depression which began its more reducing environment. The continental depos- formation at the beginning of the Neogene, within the its are separated by a Mid Miocene marine interbed Iberian Mountain Ranges in a transtensional regime. which allows a good correlation with the marine The basin is filled by detrital gypsum and carbonate scales. deposits.

The best fossil deposit in this area is Can Llobateres, The northern sector of the basin is where most of very rich in micro and macromammals. It is one of the macro and microvertebrate deposits are located, the most diverse in Europe, with around 80 mammal and is therefore where the faunal record is more species. The Vallesian, continental stage of the Upper complete. The oldest Miocene deposits were dated as Miocene overlying the Langhian, has its stratotype in Lower Aragonian (Montalvos deposit, east of Cuevas Can Llobateres. Labradas), although most of the Neogene succession cropping out in the region between Teruel and Villalba The Vallesian is widely represented in the Calatayud- Alta corresponds to deposits of early Vallesian to late Daroca basin, as well as in the northern part of the Pliocene age. The Pliocene is very well represented in Teruel Basin (Teruel-Alfambra region). However, while this basin (Alcalá et al., 2000). in the first of these basins the fossil fauna is mostly in the Lower Vallesian, in the Teruel Basin they mostly In the southern sector (Teruel-Ademuz) there is no belong to the Upper Vallesian. dating prior to the base of the Mid Miocene, and consequently the record goes from Mid Miocene Due to their rich paleontological record (especially mac- to Upper Turolian. In this area, the most important romammals), the Basins of Calatayud-Montalbán mammal deposits are Mas del Olmo, Barranco del and Teruel (Figure 6) are some of the Iberian Tertiary Rito, Libros-town for the Mid Aragonian, Libros for basins with the most complete paleontological record the Vallesian, Ademuz for the Mid Turolian, and and chronostratigraphy of the Miocene-Pliocene Cubla and Tramacastiel for the upper Turolian (Alcalá, worldwide, being the Ramblian, at the end of the 1994). Turolian, especially interesting. The Ramblian (Daams et al.,1990) was defined as a The Calatayud-Daroca-Montalbán Basin is a relatively new continental stage, due to the distribution and narrow depression limited by Paleozoic and Mesozoic abundance of the micromammal fauna. The strato- reliefs of the Iberian Mountain Range, within the type section is found near Arroyo del Ramblar, near system of tectonic intramontane grabens and sub- Navarrete del Río, north of the province of Teruel. grabens. In other places of the Calatayud-Daroca Basin, for

CONTINENTAL TERTIARY BASINS AND ASSOCIATED DEPOSITS OF ARAGÓN AND CATALUNYA 167 example near Ateca, there are also Ramblian depos- its. The Ramblian boundaries are marked in the lower limit by the first appearance of the genus Ligerimys (Eomyidae), and in the upper limit by the common appearance of the genus Democricetodon (Cricetidae).

The macromammal associations around Teruel were used as the base to define the Turolian (Aguirre et al., 1975). Two of these deposits near Teruel are the first reference units for the continental scale of Neogene mammals. In the northern part of the Teruel Basin, Turolian age deposits are very well characterized. In the Calatayud-Daroca Basin, dating of the unit to the Turolian is limited to very scarce vertebrate deposits. Figure 8. Geological scheme of the Almazán Basin. Standing out among them are those of Cortasogas, which was used to date the basal unit, and those of Fuente and Velilla de Jiloca. l Ramblian, part of the Lower Miocene, defined In the northernmost sector of the Teruel Basin, the pale- near Calamocha (Teruel) by Daams et al. (1987). ontological investigations have been mainly focused on the micromammals. From the study of mammal l Aragonian, comprising part of the Lower Miocene Pliocene deposits of the Teruel Basin, a proposal to and all of the Mid Miocene, defined by Daams et al. define a new stage was presented, the Alfambrian, (1977) near Villafeliche (Zaragoza). between the Turolian and the Villafranquian, which was determined by Mein et al. (1990) according to l Turolian, part of the Upper Miocene, proposed by biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy. The base of Crusafont (1965) and found near Teruel. the Alfambrian is characterized by the first record of Celadensia nicolae. The stage ends with the arrival of l Vallesian, continental stage of the Upper Miocene species of the rodent Mimomys, with teeth cement. overlying the Aragonian, it was defined by Crusafont (1965) and is located in Can Llobateres (Sabadell). The Almazán Basin (Figure 8) is located in the NW margin of the Iberian Mountain Range and corre- l Alfambrian, continental Pliocene, was proposed by sponds to a depression originated in a compressive Miossenet et al. (1990) from several sections located tectonic regime. The basin stretches in a NW-SE direc- in the northernmost part of the Teruel basin (Orrios- tion to converge with the Duero basin. Villalba and Celadas-La Gloria).

The Almazán basin, either by the lack of systematic Once these stages were set and defined, it was pos- studies if compared to the basins of Calatayud and sible to make accurate correlations for the sedimentary Teruel, or by the lack of fossil record, does not dis- infill at basin scale and thus, interpreting the paleoen- play the same fossil abundance as other areas. Some vironmental and paleoclimatic evolution of the region deposits worth mentioning are Miñana and Cetina de based on the vertebrate fauna successions, especially Aragón. The Miñana deposit shows an exceptional the micromammal communities found in the abun- richness of Upper Eocene primates. The deposit of dant deposits of these basins. Cetina de Aragón is also very diverse and is dated as early Miocene. Within the warm tropical monoclimate which pre- vailed for a long part of the Paleogene, for the Iberian To summarize, the biostratigraphical importance of Peninsula there is a differentiation of species, being the basins described hereby is so high that, from the on occasions the peninsular north a paleogeographi- six continental stages used in the European conti- cal barrier, alternating with another one in the south. nental biostratigraphy for the Neogene, five have the There are episodic, geographical and time connec- stratotype section in this geological framework (four tions and disconnections with Africa, Europe and Asia of them in the Aragon basins and one in the Catalonia through the Tethys. basins). The outstanding density of micromammal faunas, together with the excellent exposures and After the Eocene, in the transition to a world with dif- stratigraphic continuity of the sections used for refer- ferentiated climatic regions t relatively similar to the ence, have been the base to define the five Spanish current ones, the Peninsula was in one of the warm stratotypes with the continental Tertiary. In addition, ecotones. Therefore, the differentiation between the the magnetostratigraphic studies in the areas consid- northern and southern faunas and the alternations of ered have helped to determine the chronostratigraphy, the ecotones throughout the rest of the Tertiary are which has been elaborated thanks to the diverse suc- perfectly recorded. This contrasts with a relative cli- cessions of fossil vertebrates in these basins, formally mate monotony for Europe during this age, since most defining the five paleomastologic stages: of the continent was located within a colder climatic

168 Élez, J. strip which was not so affected by the geographical proximity of a warm ecotone. This abundant variety and richness of species in the Iberian Peninsula is also reflected in this period´s flora.

Thus, in comparison, the European faunas are more monotonous, whereas the Spanish Iberian faunas have been continuously alternating between the European and African influence. The Iberian Peninsula behaved as a crossroad along which, through the microplates which allegedly tiled the Tethys, arrived faunas from Africa, Pakistan and Asia, and which were mostly unknown in Europe. Both the African and European forms are perfectly normal in the Peninsula, and it is possible to find the oldest taxons of African immigrants. The arrival of a new species from outside the Peninsula is normally the origin of four new ones for the European and immigrant ones, and they are endemic species. Approximately half of the more than 200 species defined for the Neogene are endemic. This may be due to the existence, in this age, of a great environmental mosaic with different basins and many individualized ecological niches. All this evidence explains the very important species diversity and paleoenvironmental richness.

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170 Élez, J.