Masada del Valle 7 (Miocene of Spain)

Also known as MDV7

Where: Aragon, Spain (40.4° N, 2.6° W: paleocoordinates 40.5° N, 3.2° W)

• coordinate stated in text

When: Alfambra Formation, Turolian (8.7 - 5.3 Ma)

• LateTurolian, MN13, Late Miocene

Environment/lithology: marl

• 'Exposed are about 35m of the Peral Formation, mainly consisting of red clays and red sands with some beds of conglomerate, followed in the top part by 4m of yellow sands and conglomerate and 0.8m of well sorted sand. The Alfambra Formation starts with 1m of white marly limestone with at the base some 1.5cm thick undulating black lignitic clay layers. This is followed by a not exposed interval of 1m, on top 40cm of washed and orientated marly debris of opercula of molluscs with some bone fragments and streaks of green and black clay representing the MDV2 mammal locality. Then follow 2.4m of white marly limestone with some 1-3cm thick black lignitic layers. The next 0.3m consist of dark brown marl and marly limestone containing abundant molluscs (MDV3). In the following 1m of marly limestone some 0-10cm thick undulating black lignitic clay represent the MDV4 mammal locality. On top of another 0.5m of marly limestone 0.3-0.5m of black lignitic clay corresponds to the MDV5 mammal locality. The overlying 6.5m of white marly limestone contain some very thin lignitic lenses and on top of 0.2m of marl and lignitic clay, the MDV7 mammal locality. The section continues with 1.6m of marly limestone and about 20m of gypsum of the Tortajada Formation.'

Size class: mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, chemical, sieve,

• Specimens are stored at the Geologisch Instituut, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht.

Primary reference: A. van de Weerd. 1976. Rodent faunas of the Mio-Pliocene continental sediments of the Teruel-Alfambra region, Spain. Utrecht Micropalaeontological Bulletins, Special Publication 2:1-217 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/L. van den Hoek Ostende]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 35321: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 28.11.2003, edited by Lars van den Hoek Ostende

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
"Dibolia major n. sp." = Archaeodesmana major
"Dibolia major n. sp." = Archaeodesmana major Rümke 1985 mole
 Rodentia - Castoridae
 Rodentia - Muridae
Apodemus gudrunae van de Weerd 1976 Eurasian field mouse
Stephanomys ramblensis van de Weerd 1976 mouse
Occitanomys adroveri Thaler 1966 mouse
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetus cf. kormosi Schaub 1930 mouse
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Eliomys truci Mein and Michaux 1970 dormouse