Beginning Of Middle Pleistocene Research Articles

Mammal faunas in Europe at the end of the Early – Beginning of the Middle Pleistocene

Problems of mammal evolution in the Early and Middle Pleistocene are widely discussed in the literature. The stages of mammal evolution considered in their relation to other paleontological data, geological units and the paleomagnetic scale provide a solid basis for correlation of natural events within this time interval. The analysis of the data on the European mammal fauna makes it possible to compare the evolutionary stages of large and small mammal faunas and the evolutionary changes in indicator phyletic lineages between different regions and to find regional features of similarity or distinction. In this paper the authors made an attempt to analyze data on large and small mammal faunas in Eastern Europe within the interval from the Jaramillo paleomagnetic event to the beginning of the early Middle Pleistocene (1.07–∼0.7 Ma BP) and to compare them with analogous data from Western Europe. Main trends in evolution and distribution of large and small mammals (primarily Arvicolidae) during the studied time interval are revealed. The characteristics of the established principal stages in small mammal faunal sequences are given. The position of these stages with reference to the paleomagnetic and climatic-chronological scales are proposed.

European small mammal fauna during the end of early – the beginning of middle pleistocene

The evolutional changes of European small mammal fauna (mostly Arvicolidae) during Early Pleistocene – Middle Pleistocene transition were analyzed. The fauna between the beginning of the Jaramillo palaeomagnetic event till the Ilinka interglacial of Middle Pleistocene were taken into account (1.07– 0.7 mln years ago). The principal trends in small mammal evolution were revealed. The comparison between the Eastern European fauna and Western European one was carried out.

Découverte d’une industrie du Paléolithique inférieur en bordure de la commune de Nice, au Vallon obscur à Saint-Isidore

An archaic lithic assemblage has just been brought to light in border of the municipality of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes, France), in secondary position in a geologic context of middle fluviatile terrace in left bank of the Var. Lithic artefacts collected gather some shaping products (worked or broken pebbles) and débitage products (cores, flakes, angular fragments), obtained on pebbles mainly in marly limestone, stemming from the local plio-Pleistocene conglomerate and the alluviums of the Var. This lithic production shows essentially the beginnings of chaînes opératoires, with the first phases of pebbles cortex removing. Flakes are very mainly cortical or semi-cortical, and cores reveal a weak technical investment, with a reduced enough number of removal negatives. The débitage of orthogonal type is the most frequent, and the bipolar technique on anvil is attested. Some rare flakes are retouched by notches or by abrupt continuous retouches. The sector where was brought to light this lithic industry, in sediments reshaped below a level of fluviatile terrace of the Var in 70m of height, made us suggest a very ancient age for these vestiges, being able to go back up at the beginning of Middle Pleistocene, even of Lower Pleistocene, what is in agreement with the technical characteristics noticed on this lithic assemblage.