Finds of Bubalus murrensis (Bovinae, Mammalia) from the Upper Rhine Valley: a focus on the complex sedimentological conditions of a quaternary fluviatile system Schreiber, H. Dieter State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe, Erbprinzenstrasse 13, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Germany e-mail: [email protected] Indroduction A B Conclusions The upper sequence of the quaternary sediments of the northern The find of the waterbuffalo from Büchenau is an example for the and middle part of the Upper Rhine Valley has yield a rich sample exception which proves the rules. The stratigraphical model (Fig. of mammalian fossils (Fig. 1). The sample contains taxa of the last 3) applied in the northern Upper Rhine Valley is supported by glaciation (Würmian/Weichselian) and taxa of an interglacial most of the finds in the middle part of the Upper Rhine Valley. But period (Eemian), esp. Hippopotamus amphibius and Bubalus there is still no possibility for direct observations of the murrensis (Fig. 2), both faunal elements of interglacial periods in sedimentary structures and the arrangement of the fossils in the the Pleistocene of Europe (see KOENIGSWALD 1988b). sediment. For examble, the situation in the gravel pits of Eggenstein (see Fig. 1) is not clear caused by the lack of informations. Similar to Büchenau the extraction in the pits (2) and (3) is very shallow and there occur finds of interglacial faunal elements. A diachrone displacement of the remains could be possible in that case too. Fluviatile deposits like those of the Upper Rhine Valley are Fig. 5#: Geological W-E profile of the eastern part of the Upper Rhine Valley complex three-dimensional structures (see Fig. 5, 6, 7) in which between Mannheim and Karlsruhe (WERNER et al. (1995). small scaled structures of different ages could occur in the same level. The stratigraphical determination of fossils and the geological interpretation of the deposits in the Upper Rhine Valley Fig. 2: Co-occurrence of Bubalus und Hippopotamus north near Bruchsal (BARTZ 1982). The "Oberer Ton"-horizon is not could be different to the general situation and has to be proved in during the last interglacial in the Upper Rhine Valley. known in that area (WERNER et al. 1995). The fragmentary any case. specimen of Bubalus with marks of displacement is assigned by SCHREIBER & MUNK (2002) as an allochthonous find caused by a But the stratigraphical position of these fossils can not be exactly diachrone displacement. determinate because the fossils were found in gravels which D C Literatur: were extracted under the ground-water level by dredgers. Only Arbeitsgruppe (1980): Hydrogeologische the workers on the machines can notice the deep under ground Kartierung und Grundwasserbe- wirtschaftung Rhein-Neckar-Raum. Analyse level in which their extraction is active. KOENIGSWALD (1988a) des Ist-Zustands. - 71 S., 12 Abb., 10 Tab., discuss that subject in detail (Fig. 3). Stuttgart, Wiesbaden, Mainz (Ministerium für Ernährung, Land-wirtschaft, Umwelt und Forsten Baden-Württemberg, Hess. Minister für Landesentwicklung, Umwelt, Land- wirtschaft und Forsten, Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Weinbau und Forsten Fig. 7: The fluvial system of Rheinland-Pfalz (Hrsg.)). the Upper Rhine Valley in historical time. The map Arbeitsgruppe Hydrogeologische Kartierung shows the positions of the und Grundwasser-bewirtschaftung im Raum river and its channels in the Karlsruhe-Speyer (1988): Hydrogeologische 19th century, at 1700, 1600, Kartierung und Grundwasser- bewirtschaftung im Raum Karlsruhe-Speyer. in the 14th century and Analyse des Ist-Zustandes. Aufbau eines older. This historical mathematischen Grund-wassermodells. - 111 development is a good S., 23 Abb., 9 Tab., Stuttgart (Ministerium für examble for the dynamics of Fig. 6#: Geological S-N profil in the north of Karlsruhe (after WERNER et al. (1995). Umwelt Baden-Württemberg, Ministerium a the fluvial system in the für Umwelt und Gesundheit Rheinland-Pfalz). Upper Rhine Valley. Wolfskehlen depth of extraction: 17-19 m interglacial faunal elements in 16-18 m fine grained sediment in 19 m deepness autochthonouse fossils Frankfurt paleoecological faunal Main characteristics: Rhein Crumstadt depth of extraction: 28 m interglacial faunal elements in 14-16 m Fig. 3: Stratigraphical model of the sedimentary sequence of the deposits in fine grained sediment in 16 m deepness autochthonouse fossils the Upper Rhine Valley. Above a horizon of fine grained sediments follows at paleoecological faunal Mainz characteristics: first gravels of the last interglacial and then the gravels of the last glacial Bingen (KOENIGSWALD 1988a). Biebesheim depth of extraction: 19-20 m Darmstadt interglacial faunal elements in ? m Geinsheim Rheinisches Massiv fine grained sediment in 18-19 m deepness depth of extraction: 27 m autochthonouse fossils: ? interglacial faunal elements in 9-19 m paleoecological faunal fine grained sediment in 19 m deepness characteristics: autochthonouse fossils Geology and Stratigraphy paleoecological faunal characteristics: Groß-Rohrheim A hydrological active layer of clay and fine grained sediments depth of extraction: 24 m interglacial faunal elements in 19-22 m Nahe fine grained sediment in 20-25 m deepness exists in the northern part of the Upper Rhine Valley. This layer is autochthonouse fossils Leeheim paleoecological faunal called "Oberer Ton" (ARMBRUSTER et al. 1977, Arbeitsgruppe 1980) depth of extraction: 20-21 m characteristics: interglacial faunal elements in 17-20 m fine grained sediment in 20 m deepness and limits the extraction of material in the gravel pits. This autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal Biblis (1) characteristics: depth of extraction: 17-18 m horizon occurs in a depth of 20 to 25 m under ground level and has interglacial faunal elements in 12-18 m "Oberer Ton" in 18-19 m deepness laterally a discontinuous distribution (ARMBRUSTER et al. 1977). autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal The mammalian remains occur above the “Oberer Ton”-horizon in Stockstadt characteristics: depth of extraction: 10-16 m coarse sediments. While the interglacial faunal elements interglacial faunal elements in 10-16 m fine grained sediment in 16 m deepness Heppenheim autochthonouse fossils depth of extraction: 25 m (Elephas antiquus, Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis, Hippoptamus paleoecological faunal interglacial faunal elements in 15-19 m characteristics: Mannheim "Oberer Ton" in >25 m deepness amphibius, Sus scrofa, Capreolus capreolus, Dama dama and autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal Bubalus murrensis, Fig. 4) were usually found right above the Neckar characteristics: Eich “Oberer Ton” the glacial faunal elements (Mammuthus depth of extraction: 35 m interglacial faunal elements in 19-21 m fine grained sediment in 22-25 m deepness Heidelberg primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis and Rangifer tarandus, Fig. autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal Wattenheim characteristics: depth of extraction: 18-19 m 4) occur in the upper part of the sequence (Fig. 3, KOENIGSWALD & interglacial faunal elements in >15 m fine grained sediment in 18-19 m deepness Brühl (1) LÖ SCHER 1982, SCHWEISS 1988, KOENIGSWALD 1988b). KOENIGSWALD autochthonouse fossils depth of extraction: 17 m paleoecological faunal A interglacial faunal elements in 16-17 m (1988b) excludes a diachrone displacement because of the characteristics: "Oberer Ton" in ? m deepness autochthonouse fossils C paleoecological faunal relative high frequency of interglacial fossils (in the northern part characteristics: of the Upper Rhine Valley), their good preservation and a Bobenheim-Roxheim depth of extraction: 15 m interglacial faunal elements in 14 m Brühl (2) complete skeleton (Elephas antiquus, Crumstadt). "Oberer Ton" in 15 m deepness depth of extraction: 25 m B interglacial faunal elements in 21-24 m autochthonouse fossils Bruchsal paleoecological faunal "Oberer Ton" in ? m deepness characteristics: autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal characteristics: Leopoldshafen D depth of extraction: 25-30 m interglacial faunal elements in ? m fine grained sediment in 16-17 m deepness autochthonouse fossils Karlsruhe paleoecological faunal Huttenheim characteristics: depth of extraction: 20-30 m interglacial faunal elements in 20 m "Oberer Ton" in >20 m deepness autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal Eggenstein (1) characteristics: depth of extraction: 30-38 m interglacial faunal elements in ? m fine grained sediment in 12 m deepness Rußheim autochthonouse fossils: ? depth of extraction: 18-20 m paleoecological faunal interglacial faunal elements in ? m characteristics: fine grained sediment in ? m deepness autochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal characteristics: Eggenstein (2) depth of extraction: 12 m interglacial faunal elements in ? m Büchenau "Oberer Ton" in ? m deepness depth of extraction: 12 m autochthonouse fossils: ? interglacial faunal elements in >10 m paleoecological faunal "Oberer Ton" does not exist characteristics: allochthonouse fossils paleoecological faunal Strasbourg characteristics: Eggenstein (3) Iffezheim (2) depth of extraction: 15 m depth of extraction: 35 m interglacial faunal elements in ? m interglacial faunal elements in ? m "Oberer Ton" in ? m deepness "Oberer Ton" in ? m deepness autochthonouse fossils: ? autochthonouse fossils (?) Fig. 4: Faunal spectrum in the gravels of the Upper Rhine Valley (KOENIGWALD paleoecological faunal paleoecological faunal characteristics: characteristics: 1988b). On the left side in green are indicated the occurrence of