Late Miocene–Early Pliocene climatic evolution of the Granada Basin (southern Spain) deduced from the paleoecology of the micromammal associations

Abstract

This paper analyses the relationship between the evolution of the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene rodent and insectivore assemblages from the Granada Basin (southern Spain) and climate changes. These climatic changes, in terms of humidity and temperature fluctuations, are inferred from variations of the relative abundances of taxons with definite ecological preferences. There is a general tendency towards a temperature increase from the latest Tortonian (Middle Turolian) to the Messinian (Late Turolian), and towards a decrease from the Mio-Pliocene boundary (latest Turolian–earliest Ruscinian) to the end of the Zanclean (Late Ruscinian). Dry conditions predominate in the latest Tortonian (Middle Turolian). At the beginning of the Messinian (Late Turolian) there was a significant increase in humidity, followed by an aridification throughout the end of the Messinian and Zanclean (Late Turolian and Ruscinian). These climatic variations are in accordance with the sedimentary evolution of the basin, and agree with the climatic interpretations inferred from the shallow-marine carbonate sediments (temperate/ tropical) deposited in the marine basins of southeastern Spain during the studied time interval.