Magian, upper fossilferous horizon (Miocene of Tajikistan)

Also known as Sor, upper fossilferous horizon

Where: Sor, Tajikistan (39.5° N, 67.6° E: paleocoordinates 39.8° N, 67.3° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Gusar suite Formation, Turolian (8.7 - 5.3 Ma)

• In the upper Magian (= Karanak = lowermost Gusar) suite. There are two localities Magian and Pedjikent next to each other. Dated to MN12, Upper Miocene, Late Turolian.

Environment/lithology: brown siltstone and conglomerate

• The Magian suite comprises brown siltstones with interbedded conglomerates.'

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: the locality was discovered in 1971 and has been excavated several times.

•Different species are given in each faunal list, as two teams have been working there. Both faunal lists have been entered. Sotnikova et al. in full, Forsten & Sharapov also listed Ictitherium, Chilotherium, Hipparion garedzicum, and Protoryx tadzhikistanica, so these have not been repeated.

Primary reference: M.V. Sotnikova, A.E. Dodonov, and A.V. Pen'kov. 1997. Upper Cenozoic bio-magnetic stratigraphy of Central Asian mammalian localities. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 133:243-258 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 34392: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 29.08.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Hipparion identification follows Zhegallo (1978). Identified by comparison with material from Bazalety (Georgia) which was later reidentified by Vangengeim et al. (1989) as Hipparion sp.
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Chilotherium sp. Ringström 1924 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Chalicotherium sp. Kaup 1833 chalicothere
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparion garedzicum hipparionine horse
Hipparion garedzicum magianense (see note)
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Samotherium sp. Forsyth Major 1888 giraffe
= Samotherium irtyshense
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felidae indet. Gray 1821 cat
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Ictitherium sp. Wagner 1848 hyaena
Hyaena sp. Brisson 1762 hyaena
 Carnivora - Canidae
Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 canid
 Hyracoidea - Pliohyracidae