Lower Middle Pleistocene Research Articles

NEW REPORT OF DECAPOD AND ISOPOD CRUSTACEANS FROM THE LOWERMIDDLE PLEISTOCENE OF MONTALBANO JONICO, MATERA (BASILICATA, SOUTHERN ITALY)

The study of the Lower-Middle Pleistocene decapod crustacean fauna from Montalbano Jonico succession allowed 12 taxa to be recognized. The studied samples include some fossil species already known from the Pleistocene record of Italy, as Ebalia nux A. Milne-Edwards, 1883, Monodaeus bortolottii Delle Cave, 1988, Liocarcinus depurator (Linnaeus, 1758), Goneplax rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758), and Chlinocephalus demissifrons Ristori, 1886. These species are reported for the first time from Basilicata, except for E. nux, whereas Carcinoplax jonica n. sp. and Neogoneplax bradanica n. sp. are introduced as new species. Moreover, one poorly preserved specimen is assigned to Ebalia sp.; one dubitative specimen to ?Carcinus sp.; one specimen to Bathycalliax sp. (Axiidea de Saint Laurent, 1979); one to an indeterminate galatheid; and two poorly preserved large-sized specimens are tentatively referred to Carcinoplax sp. (Goneplacidae, MacLeay, 1838). Finally, several indeterminate specimens of cirolanid (Isopoda) are reported, as well.The studied decapod community from Basilicata allows us to expand our knowledge of Pleistocene fossil crabs and their distribution around the Mediterranean Sea basin in the Lower-Middle Pleistocene.

Evolution of the Júcar-Cabriel fluvial system on the Mediterranean watershed of the Iberian Peninsula (Valencia, eastern Spain)

This study presents the characterization and chronology of the Quaternary terrace sequence developed in the confluence zone of the Júcar and Cabriel river valleys. The study area covers a radius of 10 km from the confluence of the two valleys near the locality of Cofrentes (Valencia). It is located in the northern zone of the Ayora-Cofrentes Graben in the northeastern sector of the External Prebetic Zone adjacent to southern Iberian Chain. This N-S graben is an inherited tectonic feature with an axial salt wall subject to different periods of fluvial dissection and refilling since at least the end of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Regional isostatic uplift and local uplift and subsidence processes related to salt flow and dissolution during the Quaternary period, favored by fluvial entrenchment and terrace development. The terrace system and the previous pre-incision erosional and depositional surfaces are analyzed from a geomorphological point of view. The terrace system only develops within the soft Mio-Pliocene sedimentary fill of the graben, whilst upstream and downstream this zone the studied valleys develop important gorges (canyons) carved in the Cretaceous tablelands (Caroch Massif) and Mio-Pliocene deposits (Llanura Manchega). The geochronological control is established from 20 numerical ages obtained by different dating methods, such us Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) in detrital sequences and Th/U series in calcareous tufa deposits. Additionally, four K/Ar dates available for volcanic materials disrupting the upper and oldest terrace have been considered. A total of 14 terrace levels were identified between +130–135 m (T1) and +3–4 m (T14) of relative height above the river thalwegs. The T1 has an approximate age of c. 1.6–2.0 M.a. as indicate the age of the volcanic materials from the Agras Volcano intruded in the terrace, marking the onset of Quaternary fluvial dissection in the zone. The obtained geochronological data indicate that the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary is slightly above T6 (+60–65 m), which has an ESR age of 577 ± 43 ka. This terrace also documents the onset of the most important period of rise of the salt within the graben interfering drainage development. The geochronological data indicate the occurrence of a second eruptive event during the second half of the Middle Pleistocene related to the terraces T7 (+50 m) and T8 (+35–40 m), updating the volcanic activity in the zone. The beginning of the Upper Pleistocene is recorded by the top sequences of the T9 terrace (+25–30 m) where numerous OSL and Th/U data have been obtained with ages between ca. 105 and 81 ka (MIS 5). However, these young terraces (T8 to T13) are thickened (8–10 m) recording Middle Pleistocene sediments in their basal sequences with ages between ca. 193 and 137 ka (MIS 6). The study provides important data on valley evolution under the interference of volcanic activity, salt –related deformation (diapirism, solution subsidence) and fluvial incision fostered by the rise of the axial diapir (salt wall) protruding the graben since at least the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary. The analyzed fluvial evolution documents interesting cases of river capture, drainage antecedence and tectonic adaptation of the drainage throughout the Quaternary Period. The paper also poses interesting geochronological data on the long-term Quaternary evolution of Mediterranean valleys in the Iberian Peninsula, poorly explored to the date.

Groundwater salinization under the influence of paleo sea-level fluctuation: a case study in southern Laizhou Bay, China

The groundwater environment in low-lying coastal regions is significantly impacted by global sea-level fluctuation. In Laizhou Bay, three large-scale transgressions have occurred since the late Pleistocene, resulting in the transformation of ancient seawater into brine. This brine has become a major contributor to groundwater salinity in the area. This study establishes a correlation between groundwater occurrence and paleoclimate changes in Laizhou Bay using borehole sediment data. The source and mechanism of groundwater salinity are analyzed based on sediment pore water characteristics and hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. The study reveals that the stratigraphic structures in the area consist of four layers: a Holocene transgressive layer, a continental confining bed from the late Pleistocene, a Cangzhou transgressive layer from the late Pleistocene, and a fluvial aquifer from the middle Pleistocene. All aquifers in the study area have been infiltrated by modern seawater, with the uppermost Holocene aquifer influenced by evaporation and leaching processes, the central late Pleistocene aquifer remaining relatively stable, and the lower middle Pleistocene aquifer affected by subsurface low salinity runoff and exhibiting an increasing trend with depth. Given the presence of numerous hydrogeological environments globally that are similar to the study area, the obtained mechanisms of groundwater salinization in this study will provide theoretical support for groundwater management in similar regions worldwide.

Pleistocene Landscape Dynamics Drives Lineage Divergence of a Temperate Freshwater Fish Gobio rivuloides in Coastal Drainages of Northern China.

Understanding historical processes underlying lineage distribution patterns is a primary goal of phylogeography. We selected Gobio rivuloides (Cypriniformes: Gobionidae) as a model to improve our knowledge about how intraspecific genetic divergence of freshwater fishes arises in coastal drainages of northern China via statistical analysis using cytochrome b gene. The time-calibrated phylogeny of G. rivuloides showed the divergence of two major lineages (I and II) at ~0.98 Ma (million years ago). Lineage I can be divided into two sub-lineages (I-A and I-B) with a divergence time of ~0.83 Ma. Sub-lineage I-A inhabits the Amur River, and sub-lineage I-B lives in the Luan River and Liao River. Lineage II is distributed in the Yellow River and Hai River, with close genetic relationships between the two drainages, and can be split into two sub-lineages (II-C and II-D) with a divergence time of ~0.60 Ma. Our findings indicate that the splitting of lineages and sub-lineages could be attributed to geographic isolation caused by the formation of the Bohai Sea, river capture, and the episodic hydrologic closing of a paleolake during the late Lower-Middle Pleistocene. It is also the first report we know of displaying a clear phylogeographic break for freshwater fishes across coastal drainages in northern China.

Tectonic control on sedimentary dynamics in intraplate oceanic settings: A geomorphological image of the eastern Canary Basin and insights on its middle-upper Miocene to quaternary volcano-tectonic-sedimentary evolution

This paper integrates sedimentary, tectonic and volcanic geological processes inside a model of volcano-tectonic activity in oceanic intraplate domains related to rifted continental margins. The study case, the eastern Canary Basin (NE Atlantic), is one of the few places in the world where giant MDTs and Quaternary volcanic and hydrothermal edifices take place in intraplate domains. In this paper, we analyse how two structural systems (WNW-ESE and NNE-SSW) matching with the oceanic fabric control the location of volcanic systems, seafloor tectonic reliefs and subsequently the distribution of main sedimentary systems. Linear turbidite channels, debris flow lobes and the lateral continuity of structural and volcanic reliefs follow a WNW-ESE trend matching the tracks of the oceanic fracture zones. Furthermore, escarpments, anticline axes and volcanic ridges follow a NNE-SSW trend matching normal faults delimiting blocks of oceanic basement. The morpho-structural analysis of all the above geomorphological features shows evidence of a volcanic and tectonic activity from the middle–upper Miocene to the Lower–Middle Pleistocene spread over the whole of the eastern Canary Basin that reached the western Canary Islands. This reactivation changes the paradigm in the seamount province of Canary Islands reported inactive since Cretaceous. A tecto-sedimentary model is proposed for this period of time that can be applied in other intraplate domains of the world. A tectonic uplift in the study area with a thermal anomaly triggered volcanic and hydrothermal activity and the subsequent flank collapse and emplacement of mass transport deposits on the Western Canary Slope. Furthermore, this uplift reactivated the normal basement faults, both trending WNW-ESE and NNE-SSW, generating folds and faults that control the location of turbidite channels, escarpments, mass transport deposits and volcanic edifices.

Impact of sedimentation, climate and sea level on marine sedimentary pyrite sulfur isotopes: Insights from the Valle di Manche section (Lower-Middle Pleistocene, southern Italy)

Variations in the isotopic composition of sulfur in sedimentary pyrite (δ34Spyr) are often used to reconstruct global sulfur biogeochemical cycling and Earth's surface oxidation state over Earth history. Recent work, however, has shown that δ34Spyr is strongly impacted by local depositional conditions, which both confounds attempts to reconstruct global sulfur cycling and provides a new proxy for investigating local paleoenvironmental conditions. We present a chemostratigraphic record of δ34Spyr in a detailed paleoenvironmental and sequence stratigraphic framework spanning the Early-Mid Pleistocene transition from the Crotone Basin (Calabria, Southern Italy). Bulk δ34Spyr data parallel transgressive-regressive cycles and enable the differentiation of progradational and retrogradational stacking patterns, where δ34Spyr values decrease toward −50‰ in outer shelf deposits during late transgression and become more positive and variable in prograding sedimentary units accumulated in shallower environments. In parallel with the observed variations in δ34Spyr, complementary data on organic carbon abundance and isotopic composition and total nitrogen abundance document changes in terrestrial delivery of sediment to the basin, as a consequence of glacial-interglacial eustatic sea-level changes, regional climate and local tectonics. The chemostratigraphic record of δ34Spyr appears sensitive to variations in sedimentation rates and local erosional surfaces and therefore may represent a powerful tool to assess stratal stacking patterns for sequence stratigraphic interpretations of siliciclastic successions. These results highlight the role of local conditions in controlling sedimentary δ34Spyr records and illustrate how isotopic data can be used to reconstruct key parameters of the sedimentary environment that might not otherwise be accessible, especially in deep-time strata.

Lower–Middle Pleistocene Stratigraphy of the Southern West Siberian Plain: New Data

Abstract—The Quaternary stratigraphy of the southern West Siberian Plain is considered in the context of the updated International Chronostratigraphic Scale, with the Neogene/Quarternary boundary at 2.588 Ma. New geological, lithological, paleontological, and paleomagnetic data from a reference Quaternary section in the Irtysh River valley near Isakovka Village provide more rigorous constraints on the Lower–Middle Pleistocene stratigraphy and the respective deposition conditions. The Isakovka outcrop exposes two stratigraphically expressed and paleontologically characterized units that were deposited during regional Pleistocene interglacial events of different ages: the Strunino and Serebryanoe alluvium beds lying over eroded surfaces. The species of the Corbicula genus coexisting with numerous species of Palearctic molluscs, small mammals Allophaiomys deucalion, Mimomys reidi, and last rooted lagurids Borsodia found in the Strunino alluvium are known also from continental equivalents of the warm upper Gelasian Stage in different parts of northern Eurasia. Judging by the presence of extant corbicules, the Strunino alluvium was deposited in a warm climate, with a mean annual air temperature above +16 °C and a mean winter temperature no colder than –8 °C, in rivers that remained free from ice all year round. On the basis of fauna constraints for the Serebryanoe alluvium, along with the first appearance of the European Pisidium clessini molluscs in West Siberia, the unit can be correlated with one of the earliest Middle Pleistocene interglacial events. The faunal assemblages and spore-pollen patterns of the two units indicate that the climate during the Serebryanoe deposition was slightly cooler and wetter than during the Strunino deposition, though steppe landscapes predominated on watersheds in both events. The two alluvial beds, which are traceable in river bluffs, at 30 m above the modern water level in a tectonically stable part of West Siberia, mark the hypsometrically higher position of the river network during the Early Pleistocene and early Middle Pleistocene interglacials.

Late Quaternary Tectonics along the Peri-Adriatic Sector of the Apenninic Chain (Central-Southern Italy): Inspecting Active Shortening through Topographic Relief and Fluvial Network Analyses

Abstract Active compressional tectonics along the outer front of the Apenninic-Maghrebian chain (Italy) is well documented along the northern and central segments and in Sicily. On the other hand, the Southern Apenninic Outer Front (SAOF) orogenic activity is well established only until the Lower-Middle Pleistocene. We address the hypothesis of its subsequent late Quaternary activity in central-southern Italy (Abruzzo and Molise regions). We integrated topographic and fluvial network analyses along with morphotectonic investigation of fluvial terraces to identify evidence of differential rock uplift. We compared the results with the main geolithological units, known structural elements, and long-term deformation history from seismic line interpretation. We found variable evidence suggesting localized rock uplift in the Abruzzo region along the SAOF (Abruzzo Citeriore Basal Thrust segment) and inward structures on its hanging wall (Casoli-Bomba high), as well as along part of the Struttura Costiera thrust. Middle-to-Late Pleistocene deformation is constrained by terrace tilting and disruption along the Pescara river. Localized shortening along segments of the Apenninic Outer Front could explain the observed pattern of anomalies which is difficult to explain with long-wavelength regional uplift alone. Our reconstruction is consistent with the long-term deformation of the area and agrees with its seismotectonic setting. Despite the low deformation rate context and the peculiar geological setting which challenges the interpretation of the topographic and geomorphic signals, this study compels reconsideration, in terms of seismic hazard assessment, of the existence of late Quaternary active thrusting in central-southern Italy.

Paleoceanography and dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy across the Lower\u2013Middle Pleistocene Subseries (Calabrian\u2013Chibanian Stage) boundary at the Chiba composite section, Japan

A dinoflagellate cyst record from the highly resolved Chiba composite section in Japan has been used to reconstruct sea-surface paleoceanographic changes across the Lower–Middle Pleistocene Subseries (Calabrian–Chibanian Stage) boundary at the global stratotype, constituting the first detailed study of this microfossil group from the Pleistocene of the Japanese Pacific margin. Cold, subarctic water masses from 794.2 ka gave way to warming and rapid retreat of the Subpolar Front at 789.3 ka, ~ 2000 years before the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 20. Throughout the fully interglacial conditions of MIS 19c, assemblages are consistent with warm sea surface temperatures but also reveal instability and latitudinal shifts in the Kuroshio Extension system. The abrupt dominance of Protoceratium reticulatum cysts between 772.9 and 770.4 ka (MIS 19b) registers the influence of cooler, mixed, nutrient-rich waters of the Kuroshio–Oyashio Interfrontal Zone resulting from a southward shift of the Kuroshio Extension. Its onset at 772.9 ka serves as a local ecostratigraphic marker for the Chibanian Stage Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) which occurs just 1.15 m (= 1300 years) below it. An interval from 770.1 ka to the top of the examined succession at 765.8 ka (MIS 19a) represents warm, presumably stratified but still nutrient-elevated surface waters, indicating a northward shift of the Kuroshio Extension ~ 5 kyrs after the termination of full interglacial conditions on land.

Formal ratification of the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Chibanian Stage and Middle Pleistocene Subseries of the Quaternary System: the Chiba Section, Japan†

by Yusuke Suganuma, Makoto Okada, Martin J. Head, Koji Kameo, Yuki Haneda, Hiroki Hayashi, Toshiaki Irizuki, Takuya Itaki, Kentaro Izumi, Yoshimi Kubota, Hiroomi Nakazato, Naohisa Nishida, Masaaki Okuda, Yasufumi Satoguchi, Quentin Simon, and Yoshihiro Takeshita. Episodes 2021;44:317-47. https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2020/020080

Exploring the diversity of fossil hominin dental patterns in the western Indonesian archipelago during the Quaternary by Geometric Morphometric Analysis. Application on second upper and lower molars

Islands of the western part of the Indonesian archipelago were impacted by climatic and sea level changes during Pleistocene, which affected the dispersals and/or isolation of hominins in this region. This study aims to characterize the diversity of ancient human populations in the Sundaland based on dental collections from several localities in Sumatra and Java. The material consists of 111 teeth, 57 from Pleistocene hominins and 54 from Holocene Homo sapiens. The study of external morphology was done by geometric morphometric analysis on the occlusal surface of the upper (N=47) and lower second molars (N=64). We observe group clustering among the samples. There are at least four groups (dental types) of hominins during Pleistocene times. Result suggest that there is an overlapping among them throughout the Lower and early Middle Pleistocene; another group persists until the Late Pleistocene, and two other groups of H. sapiens are present during the Holocene. The implication of this study sheds light on the history of ancient human occupation (continuity/rupture) in Island Southeast Asia during the Quaternary period.

First nearly complete skull of Gallotia auaritae (lower-middle Pleistocene, Squamata, Gallotiinae) and a morphological phylogenetic analysis of the genus Gallotia

The Canary Islands are an Atlantic archipelago known for its high number of endemic species. Among the most known endemic vertebrate species are the giant lizards of the genus Gallotia. We describe the cranial osteology of the first almost complete and articulated fossil skull of the taxon Gallotia auaritae, recovered from the lower-middle Pleistocene of the La Palma island. In this work, X-ray computed microtomography images were used to perform an exhaustive phylogenetic analysis where most of the extant and fossil species of the genus Gallotia were included for first time. This analysis recovered a monophyletic Gallotia clade with similar topology to that of molecular analyses. The newly described specimen shares some characters with the group formed by G. bravoana, G. intermedia and G. simonyi, G. auaritae, and its position is compatible with a referral to the latter. Our study adds new important data to the poorly known cranial morphology of G. auaritae, and the phylogenetic analysis reveals an unexpected power of resolution to obtain a morphology-based phylogeny for the genus Gallotia, for inferring the phylogenetic position of extinct species and for helping in the identification of fossil specimens.

The Upper Pliocene – Quaternary geological history of the Shirak Basin (NE Turkey and NW Armenia) and estimation of the Quaternary uplift of Lesser Caucasus

Stratigraphy, structure, and tectonics of the Turkish part of the intermontane Shirak Basin and the adjacent Susuz Basin were studied based on methods of structural geology, geological and geomorphological correlation, paleontology, paleomagnetism, and archaeology. For the first time, the Pliocene-Quaternary stratigraphy and tectonics of the western Turkish and eastern Armenian parts of the Shirak Basin were correlated. Sedimentary cover of the western part of the basin consists of four units: the Lower Akchagylian (Piacenzian) marine deposits, Karakhach, Ani, and Arapi lacustrine-alluvial units. The Upper Pliocene age of the former formation in the Demirkent section is evidenced by normal palaeomagnetic signature and dinocysts of the Akchagylian aspect with some forms known to have a highest stratigraphic datum near the Pliocene–Quaternary boundary. The age of the Karakhach unit is estimated at 1.9–1.7 Ma based on similar geomorphological position and composition with corresponding deposits in Armenia, normal polarity, and a record of the Early Palaeolithic artefact. The dating of the Ani unit to the Calabrian, and the Arapi unit to the lower Middle Pleistocene is evidenced by assemblages of molluscs and small mammals, Acheulian artefacts, palaeomagnetic data, and geomorphological position similar to the correlated sedimentary sequences in the Armenian part of the basin.The level of the Akchagylian brackish water basin at the Neogene–Quaternary boundary (2.58 Ma) was close to the recent oceanic level. The recent altitude of the top of the Lower Akchagylian deposits in the Demirkent section is 1565 m. This defines the average rate of the Quaternary uplift in this part of Lesser Caucasus at 0.6 mm/year. The Shirak Basin is bounded and ruptured by fault and flexure-fault zones. Because of offsets on the Çamuşlu and Akhuryan zones, the central part of the northern Shirak Basin is subsided relative to the Demirkent section at 130–165 m. The movements in the Çarçioğlu zone caused a 100–120 m rise of the Ani unit surface in the Susuz Basin relative to the adjacent part of the Shirak Basin. The north-western border of the Susuz Basin is uplifted on the Sarikamiş fault zone. Thus, the Quaternary uplift ranges near 0.6 ± 0.1 mm/year. To the north of the Shirak Basin, in the Upper Akhuryan and Lori Basins and the Debed River valley, the rate of uplift during 0.65–0.6 Ma is estimated at about 1 mm/year and the adjacent Bazum and Javakheti Ridges rose more intensively. Therefore, the uplift could accelerate during the time interval of 0.65–0.6 Ma.

Several Lower Palaeolithic Sites along the Rhine Rift Valley, Dated from 1.3 to 0.6 Million Years

The important discoveries of Lower Palaeolithic artefacts in stratigraphical context within Lower and early Middle Pleistocene deposits in the western continental part of Europe along the rift systeme of the Rhine Valley are pointing at the possible continuous presence of hominins since the Lower Pleistocene. This paper reports on lithic industry from its early appearance at around 1.3 million years (Ma) at the site of Münster-Sarmsheim to the latest pre-Elsterian period at around 0.6 Ma at Mauer, Mosbach, and Miesenheim.

High-resolution 10Be and paleomagnetic recording of the last polarity reversal in the Chiba composite section: Age and dynamics of the Matuyama–Brunhes transition

We present new magnetic (direction and relative paleointensity) and beryllium isotope (10Be, 9Be and 10Be/9Be ratio) results covering the last geomagnetic reversal, i.e., the Matuyama–Brunhes transition (MBT), from the Chiba composite section (CbCS), east-central Japan. The very high sedimentation rates (>90 cm/ka) of the studied site, a candidate site for the global boundary stratotype section and point (GSSP) of the Lower–Middle Pleistocene boundary, allow the acquisition of a dataset of exceptional resolution. Coupled cosmogenic 10Be and magnetic results measured on the same samples demonstrate that the magnetization acquisition conserved the timing of rapid geomagnetic features, allowing accurate paleomagnetic interpretations. A polarity switch (PS) capturing most of the angular deviation occurring between 771.9 and 773.9 ka was followed by a directional instability rebound (IC1) until 768.5 ka. This sequence with 5.4 ka duration was characterized by a weak dipole field as low as 2.3 ± 0.3 × 1022 Am2. Four rapid episodes of directional instabilities preceding and following the PS-IC1 phase completed the reversal sequence. The asymmetry observed between the long-term dipole decay and sharp recovery, and rapid oscillations (<1 ka) demonstrate the complex transitional field behavior during dipole moment low before reestablishment of the full polarity state. Our observations reinforce the fact that most reversal records do not integrate the full field behavior associated with the geodynamo action. Although this poses problems for understanding the underlying physical processes that produce reversals, it does not hamper stratigraphic correlations among most geologic records.

A summary of the Chiba Section, Japan

We propose the extensively studied Chiba section of the Chiba composite section (CbCS) as the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) to define the base of the Middle Pleistocene Subseries and Chibanian Stage. The CbCS is a continuous and expanded marine sedimentary succession within the middle of the Ko-kumoto Formation, Boso Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture. It contains well-preserved pollen, marine micro-and macrofossils, a tightly-defined Matuyama-Brunhes (M-B) paleomagnetic polarity boundary, and numerous tephra beds, allowing the establishment of a robust and precise chronostratigraphic framework across the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary. Its deep-marine, open-ocean continental slope setting, coupled with high sedimentation rates with no evidence of abrupt deposition, has resulted in preserving both terrestrial and marine environmental changes in and around Marine Isotope Stage (MIS). We have performed high-resolution oxygen isotope analysis , as well as detailed sedimentological, geochemical, and biostrati-graphic studies of the CbCS, confirming the completeness of the stratigraphic interval spanning the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary. The M-B polarity boundary serves as the agreed primary guide for the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary, and the CbCS represents one of the most detailed marine sedimentary records yet obtained for this reversal, yielding an astronomical age of. ka with a duration of ca.. kyr. This section therefore offers an exceptional opportunity to calibrate the geological time scale as well as understand the dynamics of the geodynamo. The widespread Byk-E tephra lies close to the reversal, allowing precise regional lithostrati-graphic correlation. The CbCS is easy to access from international airports. The section will be permanently preserved and maintained by the local government as a natural monument. Based on these attributes , the base of the Byk-E tephra bed in the Chiba section is the best horizon for establishing the GSSP that will define the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary.

Reassessment of a Pleistocene Rhinocerotid (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from Aira, Kagoshima, Southwestern Japan

This study describes the right upper postcanine teeth of a single individual of a Pleistocene rhinocerotid (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from the lower to lower Middle Pleistocene Kamo Formation of the Kokubu Group in Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. These teeth are heavily worn and are identified as P2–M2 with missing M1. They are identified as an indeterminate genus and species of the Rhinocerotidae, although they were previously identified as Rhinoceros aff. sinensis. These dental fossil specimens and the rhinocerotid footprints from the lower to lower Middle Pleistocene of Japan indicate that rhinocerotids certainly existed in Japan during the early to early Middle Pleistocene.

Active Tectonics along the South East Offshore Margin of Mt. Etna: New Insights from High-Resolution Seismic Profiles

The offshore margin of Mt. Etna has been shaped by Middle Pleistocene to Holocene shortening and extension and, more recently, by gravity-related sliding of the volcanic edifice. These processes have acted contemporaneously although the gravitational component largely prevails over the tectonic one. In order to investigate this issue, we focused on the main role of active tectonics along the south-eastern offshore of Mt. Etna by means of marine high-resolution seismic data. Seismic profiles revealed post-220 ka sedimentary deposits unconformably overlaying the Lower-Middle Pleistocene Etnean clayey substratum and volcanics of the Basal Tholeiitic phase and the Timpe phase. Offshore Aci Trezza-Catania, the architecture of the sedimentary deposits reflects syn-tectonic deposition occurred into “piggy-back” basin setting. Shortening rate was estimated at ~0.5 mm/a since ~220 ka. Asymmetric folding also involves post Last Glacial Maximum deposits, evidencing that compressional deformation is still active. In the continental slope, a belt of normal faults offset the Lower-Middle Pleistocene Etnean clayey substratum and younger deposits, also producing seafloor ruptures. Thrust and fold structures can be related to the recent migration of the Sicilian chain front, while extensional faults are interpreted as part of a major tectonic boundary located in the Ionian offshore of Sicily.

Constraints on the dispersal of Mt. Vulture pyroclastic products: implications to mid-Pleistocene climate conditions in the foredeep domain of southern Italy

Mt. Vulture volcano is located on the thrust front of the southern Apennines. Its mid-Pleistocene products are spread southeastward in the adjacent Bradano foredeep basin. The stratigraphic record of the volcano within the Quaternary sedimentary successions helps to better understand the paleo-environmental setting of the foredeep. Volcaniclastic deposits cropping out close to the edifice, tephra levels and associated paleosols recovered from the southernmost sector of the foredeep are of key importance in reconstructing the Pleistocene morpho-climatic conditions in which they formed, using a multiproxy approach. Geomorphological observations and stratigraphic sampling come from the Venosa lacustrine-alluvial basin and from the areas of Irsina and Pomarico villages, where pumice fall levels and related paleosols are present at the top of the lower-middle Pleistocene sedimentary succession. Geochemical and mineralogical analyses of paleosols and pyroclastic rocks have indicated that the Pomarico pumices, reworked and deposited in an alluvial environment, could be likely correlated to the Fara d'Olivo ignimbrites (39Ar/40Ar age < 687 ± 8 ka) present in the basal unit of the Mt. Vulture volcanic succession. The presence of a 7A halloysite phase in the paleosols from two different sites suggests that the Pleistocene weathering likely developed in a dry-humid climate with an alternation of rainy seasons and dry periods.

The Valle di Manche section (Calabria, Southern Italy): A high resolution record of the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition (MIS 21-MIS 19) in the Central Mediterranean

The on-land marine Valle di Manche section (Crotone Basin, Calabria, Southern Italy), one of the candidates to host the GSSP of the Middle Pleistocene (“Ionian”) Stage, preserves a manifold record of independent chronological, paleoclimatic and stratigraphic proxies that permit a straightforward correlation with marine and terrestrial reference records at the global scale. In particular, the section holds an excellent record of the Matuyama-Brunhes magnetic reversal, which occurs in the midst of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19. We report on a complete revision of the section that improves dramatically the available dataset, especially in the stratigraphic interval straddling the Lower-Middle Pleistocene boundary. Our benthic δ18O record provides evidence that the Matuyama-Brunhes transition, the stratigraphic position of which is marked by a prominent tephra (the “Pitagora ash”), occurred during full MIS 19, in agreement with many records worldwide. We obtained an age of 786.9 ± 5 ka for the Matuyama-Brunhes magnetic reversal and pinpointed the paleomagnetic transition of to a 3 cm-thick interval, indicating that the event was very fast. Since the section fulfills all the requirements to host the GSSP of the Ionian Stage, we propose that the boundary should be placed at the base of the “Pitagora ash”, ca. 12.5 cm below the midpoint of the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal.