The problem of correlations between South Europe and North Africa during the pleistocene

Abstract

The most complete stratigraphical sequence, allowing to draw in North Africa a relative chronology of the Pleistocene, was established in Morocco. It is based on eustatic transgressions and regressions of the Atlantic Ocean which left various deposits alternating with continental formations. They yielded both fossil faunas and prehistoric industries. Correlations with the European or African coasts of the Mediterranean Sea are difficult because of the Quaternary tectonic activity in this area. Today the best data are provided by the Iberian Peninsula, specially the Portuguese coast, where the eustatic variations of the sea level are similar to those of the Moroccan coast. Numerous difficulties appear for the comparison of the various faunas from south Europe and from North Africa. The invertebrate paleontology shows a constantly different environment between the Mediterranean and Atlantic littorals. For example Strombus bubonius is unknown on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast. The “Nordic fauna”, very useful in the Moroccan raised beaches, is useless in Portugal where it is still presently living. Similar difficulties arise concerning the paleontology of continental vertebrates. Since the Villafranchian, the same genera are found north and south of the Mediterranean Sea, but not the same species. Furthermore, contrarily to what occurred in Europe, there was no faunal-break in Africa during the Glacial periods. As for prehistory, we need more information on the oldest European industries. In Portugal there are numerous pebble-tools but no assemblage was found in situ in Lower Pleistocene formations, and up to the present no pre-Acheulian complex is proved to exist, contrarily to what is ascertained in North Africa. For Acheulian industries, comparisons are easier; Early and Middle Acheulian have similar evolutions. Only with evolved Acheulian significant differences appear.