Puerto de la Cadena
Basic information
Sample name: Puerto de la Cadena

Reference: P. Piñero, J. Agustí, O. Oms, I. Fierro, P. Montoya, S. Mansino, F. Ruiz-Sánchez, D. M. Alba, M. T. Alberdi, H.-A. Blain, C. Laplana, J. Van der Made, A. V. Mazo, J. Morales, X. Murelaga, A. Pérez-García, F. Pérez-Valera, J. A. Pérez-Valera, P. Sevilla, J. M. Soria, and G. Romero. 2017. Early Pliocene continental vertebrate Fauna at Puerto de la Cadena (SE Spain) and its bearing on the marine-continental correlation of the Late Neogene of Eastern Betics. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 479:102-114 [ER 4019]
Geography
Country: Spain


Coordinate: 37° 55' 9" N, 1° 9' 41" W
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Early Pliocene

Zone: MN14

Max Ma: 4.997

Min Ma: 4.896

Age basis: paleomag

Geography comments: "8 km SSW of the town of Murcia, and 2.5 km south of El Palmar, on the northern flank of the Carrascoy range mountain"
"correlated with the reverse polarity chron C3n.3r (5.0-4.9 Ma)" and assigned to MN14
this is specifically 4.997 to 4.896 according to Ogg (2020)
based on microfossils, "the underlying erosive surface corresponds to the end-Messinian discontinuity", implying that the reversed section including the fossils is from C3n.3r

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Environment
Lithology: sandstone

Taphonomic context: fluvial deposit

Habitat comments: the site's lithology is "a sand and lutite alternating succession" and the sands are mainly "sets of trough and planar cross-stratification... The macrovertebrate fossil remains are mainly located in the conglomeratic layers of the sands or in the basal lag of the sedimentary sets"
the environment is interpreted as "channels through which dunes and megaripples migrate"

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,other reptiles,snakes

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 195 specimens

Years: 2008 - 2011

Sampling comments: "This site was discovered in 2008 as a result of the construction of the MU-31 motorway... Systematic excavations were carried out at the Puerto de la Cadena site in 2009, 2010 and 2011... Large amounts of sediment were also screen-washed using superimposed 4.0, 1.0 and 0.5 mm mesh screens"
the material is in the Museo Arqueológico de Murcia
at least four species of turtles are also present, but specimen counts are unclear

Metadata
Sample number: 4436

Contributor: John Alroy

Enterer: John Alroy

Created: 2024-11-07 08:12:51

Modified: 2024-11-07 08:12:51

Abundance distribution
23 species
3 singletons
total count 195
geometric series index: 36.9
Fisher's α: 6.778
geometric series k: 0.8111
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7105
Shannon's H: 2.0162
Good's u: 0.9848
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
†Stephanomys cf. dubari4
†Paraethomys cf. meini3
Debruijnimys sp.2
†Apocricetus cf. barrierei1
†Ruscinomys lasallei6
†Trischizolagus maritsae100
"nearly 100" specimens
†Prolagus cf. michauxi3
minimum count: "a few"
Macaca sp.2
†Eucyon monticinensis5
†Anancus arvernensis2
Hipparion aff. fissurae = †Plesiohipparion aff. fissurae26
Dihoplus sp.3
D. schleiermacheri or D. megarhinus: minimum count
Cervidae indet.1
†Sivatherium cf. hendeyi4
minimum count: a metacarpal and "some" teeth
Bovidae indet. 11
†Gazella aff. baturra5
minimum count: "numerous" specimens including "postcranial remains, dentition, a cranial fragment, and a horn core"
†Gazella aff. lydekkeri4
Bovidae indet. 24
minimum count: "dental material" and "metapodial fragments and a second phalanx"
Bovidae indet. 32
Parabos sp.6
minimum count: maxilla, mandible, M2, P3, and "postcranial bones"
Crocodylia indet.5
minimum count: two teeth and "a few fragments of osteoderms"
Malpolon sp.3
"Malpolon gr. monspessulanus-mlynarski"
Vipera sp.3