SPANISH JOURNAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY The Ventian mammal age (Latest Miocene): present state Jorge MORALES1*, Pablo PELÁEZ-CAMPOMANES1, Juan ABELLA2, Plinio MONTOYA3, Francisco J. RUIZ3, Lluís GIBERT4, Gary SCOTT5, Juan L. CANTALAPIEDRA1 & Oscar SANISIDRO1 1 Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC). José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2. 28006 Madrid, Spain; [email protected]; mcnp177@ mncn.csic.es; [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifi ci ICP, Campus de la UAB s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] 3 Departament de Geologia, Àrea de Paleontologia, Universitat de València. Doctor Moliner, 50. 46100 Burjassot, Spain; [email protected]; [email protected] 4 Departament de Geoquímica, Petrologia i Prospecció Geològica, Universitat de Barcelona, C/ Martí i Franqués s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] 5 Berkeley Geochronology Center 2455 Ridge Road Berkeley Ca 94709, USA; [email protected] * Corresponding author Morales, J., Peláez-Campomanes, P., Abella, J., Montoya, P., Gibert, L., Scott, G., Cantalapiedra, J.L. & Sanisidro, O. 2013. The Ventian mammal age (Latest Miocene): present state. [La edad de mamíferos ventienses (Mioceno terminal): estado actual]. Spanish Journal of Palaeontology, 28 (2), 149-160. Manuscript received 06 May 2013 © Sociedad Española de Paleontología ISSN 2255-0550 Manuscript accepted 21 October 2013 ABSTRACT RESUMEN The Ventian land mammal age includes most of the Spanish La edad de mamíferos terrestres Ventiense incluye la mayoría faunas assigned to the biochronologic unit MN 13. It is de las faunas españolas de la unidad biocronológica MN 13. correlatable with the Messinian, although it may include, Se correlaciona con el Messiniense, aunque su parte fi nal in its latest part, early Pliocene faunas. We propose that the puede incluir faunas de edad Plioceno basal. El Ventiense Ventian begins with the fi rst occurrence of the Muridae genus comienza con la primera aparición del genero de Muridae Stephanomys (7 Ma, paleomagnetic dating from El Bunker, Stephanomys (7 Ma; datación paleomagnética de El Bunker, Teruel basin), well recorded in Teruel basin, and ends with the cuenca de Teruel), y termina con la aparición de Promimomys appearance of Promimomys (ca. 5 Ma), also registered in the (ca. 5 Ma), ambas registradas en la cuenca de Teruel. En este Teruel basin. We suggest a new reorganization of the Ventian. trabajo proponemos una nueva organización del Ventiense. The fi rst subdivision corresponds to the zone M (Dam et al., Una primera división correspondiente a la zona M (Dam et 2001). The second, zone N, is proposed here for the fi rst al., 2001), y una nueva zona denominada N, equivalente time, being equivalent to the zone with Celadensia (Mein et a la zona con Celadensia (Mein et al., 1990; Dam et al., al., 1990; Dam et al., 2006) plus the part of the zone with 2001) más la parte de la zona con dos Paraethomys (Dam two Paraethomys (Dam et al., 2006) in which Celadensia et al., 2006) en la que Celadensia ha desaparecido y aún no has dissappeared and still does not register Promimomys. se registra Promimomys. El Ventiense es ahora reconocido The Ventian is now accurately recognized with quite precise con límites y divisiones precisas, de forma que puede ser boundaries and divisions, so that it can be easily recognized fácilmente reconocible en las cuencas continentales Ibéricas 150 MORALES, PELÁEZ-CAMPOMANES, ABELLA, MONTOYA, RUIZ, GIBERT, SCOTT, CANTALAPIEDRA & SANISIDRO in the Iberian continental basins with Mio-Pliocene sediments con sedimentos Mio-Pliocenos permitiendo unas correlaciones allowing refi ned intra- and inter-basin correlations. intra e inter cuenca detalladas. Keywords: Biochronology, Iberian Peninsula, continental Palabras clave: Biocronología, Península Ibérica, cuencas basins, Messinian. continentales, Messiniense. 1. INTRODUCTION European Faunas. The radiometric-based duration of the Ventian age spans from around 6.5 Ma to 4 Ma, or, in other The end of the Miocene in the Mediterranean domain words, the Messinian (latest Miocene) and the Zanclean was marked by major geological events that were of (early Pliocene)”. Shortly after its defi nition, Alberdi et critical importance in the evolution of the continental al. (1977) analyzed the mammalian faunas which were environments, and which reached its climax during the attributed to the Ventian, and, based on its composition, “Mediterranean Salinity Crisis” (MSC) caused by the restricted the Ventian to the Late Miocene, biozone MN closure of the Atlantic-Mediterranean connection, with a 13, thus strictly correlating it with the marine Messinian. subsequent isolation and desiccation of the Mediterranean Therefore, the Ventian would only correspond with the Sea. It was a period marked by a general decline of the Uppermost Miocene faunal associations. This defi nition sea level, strong orogenic reactivation and the onset of has prevailed in the literature, particularly in the southern the Late Miocene glaciation, which had a serious effect Spanish basins, where the fi nal Miocene is widely exposed over the organic associations –see Aguirre (2003) for an (Ruiz Bustos, 2011). An exception to this interpretation excellent summary of this global crisis. In this scenario, may be found in Alberdi & Bonadonna (1988), who the Mediterranean continental basin of the Iberian considered that the localities of Venta del Moro, Sahabi Peninsula has a relevant importance, being one of the few and Bacinello V3 represent particular faunal associations areas in which there is a signifi cant fossil documentation, unassimilable neither to the Turolian nor the Ruscinian. largely covering the time span between the end of the Therefore, these localities would not represent a transition Miocene and the beginning of the Pliocene (ca. 7-5 Ma). between the Miocene and the Pliocene, but would be The diversity and richness of the Spanish sites from related to the beginning of the Pliocene and correlated this period led to the proposal a new Mammalian Age with the Zanclean. However, this view is in contradiction by Aguirre et al. (1976) named as “Ventian”, choosing with recently available paleomagnetic age for Venta del Venta del Moro (Valencia) as its reference locality, whose Moro (Gibert et al., 2013) and other Ventian sites, still mammals record is one of the most important sources considered Miocene sites. for the knowledge of the Mediterranean continental Moreover, the proposal of the Alfambrian “continental environments of the Miocene/Pliocene trasition (Montoya stage” by Mein et al. (1990), based on the micromammal et al., 2006; Gibert et al., 2013). The aim of the present composition of the sedimentary sections of Teruel Basin, has paper is to validate the Ventian land mammal age, introduced some confusion when including Miocene faunas specifying its subdivision in local zones. An important into the MN 14, traditionally placed within the Pliocene. aspect of this work is the discussion of the mammalian According to these authors the term Alfambrian is used for faunas close to the Mio / Pliocene limit in the Iberian “designer le periode qui debute avec l’entrée de Celadensia Peninsula, whose biostratigraphic position has been and et s’achève avec celle des Mimomys à cément. Sont contenu still remains a subject of debate. et ses limites se fondent sur l’évolution des arvicolidés et des trilophomyidés. L’Alfabrien correspondrait aux zones 14 et 15 de l’échelle des mammifères”. Finally, in this 2. BACKGROUND OF THE VENTIAN historical review, the defi nition of the Ventian continental MAMMAL AGE stage with the proposal of a stratotype carried out by Ruiz Bustos (1997) has to be pointed out; it includes the The Ventian was proposed as “Continental Mammals Age” section of lacustrine sediments dated next to the highway by Aguirre et al. (1976) during the Messinian Seminar # 2 A-9, between km 244 (Pulianas, Granada) and km 249 (Gargano, Italy), with the following defi nition “The 6.9 Ma (localities of Alfacar and Jun, Granada), that ranges from date from Barqueros correlates to latest Turolian of pre- the Late Turolian (MN 12) up to the end of the Ventian. Librilla age (i.e. Crevillente V). We therefore propose to Currently, although our knowledge of the taxonomy of the stablish a new mammal ‘age’: the Ventian (from Venta del Spanish fauna is incomplete and requires a sound revision Moro locality), to span the time from the fi rst appearance for some mammal groups, the progress in both geology of Apodemus to the fi rst appearance of microtine in SW- and palaeontology has been remarkable. In this regard, THE VENTIAN MAMMAL AGE (LATEST MIOCENE): PRESENT STATE 151 the basins of Teruel, Cabriel, Segura, Fortuna, Guadix- (paleomagnetic age from El Bunker, in Teruel basin) and Baza and Granada have been particularly important. They the entry of Promimomys, dated in Greece around 5.3 Ma represent continuous stratigraphic series with abundant by Hordijk & Bruijn (2009). The occurrence of this genus micromammal localities, permitting a more precise in the Teruel basin is not dated directly, but it could be assessment of the continental biostratigraphy along the close to 5 Ma (Dam et al., 2006). The Ventian begins with Mio-Pliocene boundary (Fig. 1). the fi rst occurrence of the Muridae genus Stephanomys well TERUEL LEVANTE-MURCIA-ALMERÍA GRANADA First occurrence AGE STAGE POLARITY MEIN ZONES CHRON AGE MAMMAL TERUEL ZONES LOCAL VAL-2 VAL-1 ORR-1 O 3n 14 CE-6 CE-12 ALC-2D GO-1 Trilophomys ZANCLEAN 5 RUSCINIAN CE-9 LG-4 Promimomys SIF-430 CE 5/14 ALJ-2/3 N2 CAR SIF-413 CLC-5 COL-2 Paraethomys abaigari ALC-N CE 4 ZOR COL-1 PUR-4 ALB CAC-1 CE-3/8 PUR-3 Gerbillids 3r LMC-2 D-5 N1 DSH-16 Celadensia LMC-3 MN-2 6 CE-2/10 SIF-79 M3 13 SIF-52 VM CR-6 LIB Paraethomys miocaenicus 3An VENTIAN KS-S KS PUL-24/25 Hexaprotodon M2 BUN-4-5 MESSINIAN PUL-23 SIF-3 M1 SIF-1 OTU-1/3 3Ar BUN 7 OTU-4 Stephanomys rambliensis CD VIZ-1 3Bn KS-2 JUN-2B 3Br 12 L CR-4/5 Paleomagnetic data 4n Radiometric absolute age TUROLIAN 8 TORTONIAN 11 Locality with marine-continental correlation K Figure 1.