ITALIAN PLIO-PLEISTOCENE MAMMAL BIOCHRONOLOGY AND CORRELATION WITH MARINE SEQUENCES: THREE CASE STUDIES

Abstract

The use of the biochronological units, based on the occurrence and evolutionary degree of the mammals, in the correlation between
marine and continental sequences, in some cases enables a more detailed definition of the age of the sequences, but in other cases
shows a more complex framework. In this paper three case studies will be pointed out: Mandriola (Sardinia, Early Pliocene-Middle
Pliocene boundary), Lower Valdarno (Tuscany – Plio-Pleistocene boundary) and Tiberino River Basin (Umbria - Pliocene Pleistocene
boundary).
Biochronological criteria can be considered a very useful tool to infer age determination in the case of Mandriola fossiliferous site. The
interpretation of the marine and non marine fossil record of Lower Valdarno and Tiber River Basin lead to two different scenarios: 1) the Italian peninsula can be considered as a refugium area for the Pliocene taxa, which survived until the earliest Pleistocene; 2) the age of deposits previously referred to Early Pleistocene has to be considered older (Late Pliocene).