Chomateri: Late Miocene, Greece
List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
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Reptilia
- Theropoda
- Phasianidae
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Pavo archiaci
(Gaudry 1862)
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Michailidis et al. 2010 | |||||||||
| proximal humerus, distal humerus | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Proboscidea
- Choerolophodontidae
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Choerolophodon pentelicus
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Proboscidea
- Gomphotheriidae
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Anancus sp.
Aymard 1855
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| Konidaris G. 2013. PhD Thesis | ||||||||||
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= Anancus lehmanni
Gaziry 1997
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Konidaris and Roussiakis 2019 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Carnivora
- Felidae
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Metailurus parvulus
Hensel 1862
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Cervidae
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Pliocervus pentelicus
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Bovidae
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Gazella capricornis
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Prostrepsiceros rotundicornis
|
de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Palaeoreas lindermayeri
(Wagner 1848)
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Tragoportax gaudryi
Kretzoi 1941
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Giraffidae
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Palaeotragus rouenii
(Gaudry 1861)
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Suidae
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Microstonyx erymanthius
Roth and Wagner 1854
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Perissodactyla
- Chalicotheriidae
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Chalicotherium goldfussi
Kaup 1833
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Symeonidis 1973 | |||||||||
| maxilla with right and left P3-M3 | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Perissodactyla
- Equidae
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Hipparion mediterraneum
Roth and Wagner 1855
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Primates
- Cercopithecidae
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Mesopithecus pentelicus
Wagner 1839
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Rodentia
- Cricetidae
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Kowalskia aff. lavocati
(Hugueney and Mein 1965)
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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Byzantinia pikermiensis n. gen., n. sp.
de Bruijn 1976
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Rodentia
- Muridae
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? Occitanomys provocator n. sp.
de Bruijn 1976
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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? Occitanomys neutrum n. sp.
de Bruijn 1976
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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Parapodemus gaudryi
(Dames 1883)
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Rodentia
- Gliridae
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Muscardinus sp.
Kaup 1829
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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Myomimus cf. dehmi
(de Bruijn 1966)
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de Bruijn 1976 | |||||||||
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Mammalia
- Rodentia
- Hystricidae
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Hystrix primigenia
(Wagner 1848)
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de Bruijn et al. 1999 | |||||||||
| see common names | ||||||||||
Geography
| Country: | Greece | State/province: | Attiki | County: | Pikermi |
| Coordinates: | 38.0° North, 24.0° East (view map) | ||||
| Paleocoordinates: | 37.7° North, 23.6° East | ||||
| Basis of coordinate: | estimated from map | ||||
| Geographic resolution: | outcrop |
Time
| Period: | Neogene | Epoch: | Miocene |
| 10 m.y. bin: | Cenozoic 6 | ||
| Key time interval: | Late Miocene | ||
| Age range of interval: | 11.63 - 5.333 m.y. ago | ||
| Age estimate: | 7.17 to 7.11 Ma (other) |
Stratigraphy
| Geological group: | Mesogea Basin | Formation: | Pikermi | Member: | Chomateri |
| Stratigraphy comments: Here we reconstruct environmental conditions from the two Graecopithecus-bearing sediment successions using grain-texture analysis, end-member modelling of grain-size distributions, geochemistry of soluble salts and provenance analysis of U-Pb ages of detrital zircons. We then provide age constraints on fossils and document environmental changes on the basis of combined bio-magnetostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy. | |||||
Lithology and environment
| Primary lithology: | paleosol/pedogenic,red,yellow siltstone |
| Secondary lithology: | carbonaceous claystone |
| Includes fossils? | Y |
| Lithology description: We subdivide Upper Miocene sediments of the Athens and the Mesogea Basins (Figs 1 and 2) into the terrestrial to alluvial Pikermi Formation (new formation) and the palustrine to lacustrine Rafina Formation (new formation). The Pikermi Formation represents an up to 30-mthick sequence of predominantly reddish silts with subordinate clastic channels of conglomerates and sandstones, which contains a rich and exclusively terrestrial vertebrate fauna. The formation rests discordantly upon the ‘lower limestone unit’[9] (palustrine to lacustrine grey marls and coals) and is concordantly overlain by the Rafina Formation (palustrine to lacustrine clay, coal, and platy limestone). Based on transport mechanisms, sediment colour, and palaeosol development, the Pikermi Formation can be subdivided into two members: the Red Conglomeratic Member (new member) characterized by debris flows and the fluvio-alluvial Chomateri Member (new member). The lower part of the Pikermi Formation (Red Conglomeratic Member) represents an alternation of red silts with a weak pedogenic overprint and debris flow deposits (Fig 3). These debris flows contain clasts of the nearby Attica unit of Mt. Pendeli, which indicates a strong topographic gradient. Silts from the lower Red Conglomeratic Member include the classical Pikermian bone accumulations. The upper Pikermi Formation (Chomateri Member) represents an alternation of reddish to yellowish silts with fluvial channels and channel-fill trains (Fig 3) that are indicative of small migrating streams during times of increased surface run-off. Away from channels, silts can contain well developed calcareous palaeosols rich in mammalian fossils. In both basins, the Pikermi Formation is concordantly overlain by palustrine clays and coals, and lacustrine marls and limestones of the Rafina Formation | |
| Environment: | fluvial indet. |
| Geology comments: For the first time we demonstrate that C4 grasses were the dominant herbaceous element of the Pikermi Formation. Our habitat reconstruction suggests fire-prone woody grasslands and woodlands within a savannah biome for Pikermi and Pyrgos and, thus, provides unambiguous evidence for the early environmental conjectures of Gaudry.
The classical Pikermi fauna is terminated at the beginning of the Messinian (7.25–7.10 Ma) by a significant faunal turnover (post-Pikermi turnover), accompanied by massive increase of Saharan dust and salt accumulation with profound effects on soil salinity and nutrition. Furthermore, mineral dust in Attica was rich in soluble evaporites (halite, gypsum) in the earliest Messinian and especially during two pronounced insolation seasonality minima at 7.18 and 7.157 Ma, which suggests an orbitally driven progressive Sahara desertification. We suppose that a latest Tortonian to early Messinian dust- and salt-laden atmosphere over the Mediterranean may have further accelerated cooling and aridification via absorption of incoming solar radiation and, thus, may partially explain regionally accentuated Mediterranean cooling | |
Taphonomy
| Modes of preservation: | body |
| Size of fossils: | macrofossils |
| Articulated whole bodies: | none |
Collection methods and comments
| Reason for describing collection: | paleoecologic analysis |
Metadata
| Also known as: | Kisdari | ||
| Database number: | 195562 | ||
| Authorizer: | E. Vlachos | Enterer: | P. Kampouridis, E. Vlachos | Research group: | vertebrate |
| Created: | 2018-08-13 07:01:20 | Last modified: | 2018-08-13 07:01:20 |
| Access level: | the public | Released: | 2018-08-13 07:01:20 |
| Creative Commons license: | CC BY | ||
Reference information
Primary reference:
| 66561. | M. Böhme, N. Spassov, M. Ebner, D. Geraads, L. Hristova, U. Kirscher, S. Kötter, U. Linnemann, J. Prieto, S. Roussiakis, G. Theodorou, G. Uhlig, and M. Winklhofer. 2017. Messinian age and savannah environment of the possible hominin Graecopithecus from Europe . In R. Macchiarelli (ed.), PLoS One 12(5) [E. Vlachos/P. Kampouridis/P. Wagner] |
Secondary references:
| 26555 | H. de Bruijn. 1976. Vallesian and Turolian rodents from Biotia, Attica and Rhodes (Greece) I + II. Proceedings Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Series B. 79(5):361-384 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende] | |
| 70440 | H. de Bruijn, G. Sarac, L. W. Hoek Ostende and S. Roussiakis. 1999. The status of the genus name Parapodemus SCHAUB, 1938; new data bearing on an old controversy. In J. W. F. Reumer, J. de Vos (eds.), Elephants have a snorkel! Papers in honour of Paul Y. Sondaar - Deinsea 7:95-112 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos] | |
| 69435 | G. E. Konidaris and S. J. Roussiakis. 2019. The first record of Anancus (Mammalia, Proboscidea) in the late Miocene of Greece and reappraisal of the primitive anancines from Europe. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e1534118:1-19 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos] | |
| 66564 | D. Michailidis, S. Roussiakis, and G. Theodorou. 2010. Palaeoavian remains from the Late Miocene localities of Pikermi, Chomateri and Kerassiá; palaeoecological implications. In A. Chatzipetros, V. Melfos, P. Marchev, I. Lakova (eds.), XIX Congress of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association 39(1-2):250-251 [E. Vlachos/P. Kampouridis] | |
| 69297 | N. K. Symeonidis. 1973. Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) aus dem Altpliozän von Pikermi (Griechenland). Annales Geologiques des Pays Helléniques 25:301-307 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos] |