First Clarkforkian equivalent Land Mammal Age in the latest Paleocene basal Sparnacian facies of Europe: fauna, flora, paleoenvironment and (bio)stratigraphy.
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is correlated with the first occurrences of earliest modern mammals in the Northern Hemisphere. The latest Paleocene Clarkforkian North American Land Mammal Age, that has yielded rodents and carnivorans, is the only exception to this rule. However, until now no pre-PETM localities have yielded modern mammals in Europe or Asia. We report the first Clarkforkian equivalent Land Mammal Age in the latest Paleocene deposits of the basal Sparnacian facies at Rivecourt, in the north-central part of the Paris Basin. The new terrestrial vertebrate and macroflora assemblages are analyzed through a multidisciplinary study including sedimentologic, stratigraphic, isotopic, and palynological aspects in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironment and to evaluate biochronologic and paleogeographic implications. The mammals are moderately diverse and not abundant, contrary to turtles and champsosaurs. The macroflora is exceptional in preservation and diversity with numerous angiosperms represented by flowers, fruits, seeds and wood preserved as lignite material, revealing an abundance of Arecaceae, Betulaceae, Icacinaceae, Menispermaceae, Vitaceae and probably Cornaceae. Results indicate a Late Paleocene age based on carbon isotope data, palynology and vertebrate occurrences such as the choristoderan Champsosaurus, the arctocyonid Arctocyon, and the plesiadapid Plesiadapis tricuspidens. However, several mammal species compare better with the earliest Eocene. Among these, the particular louisinid Teilhardimys musculus, also recorded from the latest Paleocene of the Spanish Pyrenees, suggests a younger age than the typical MP6 reference level. Nevertheless, the most important aspect of the Rivecourt fauna is the presence of dental remains of a rodent and a "miacid" carnivoran, attesting to the presence of two modern mammalian orders in the latest Paleocene of Europe. Interestingly, these two groups are also the only modern groups recorded from the latest Paleocene of North America, making Rivecourt the first direct equivalent to the Clarkforkian Land Mammal Age outside of North America.
Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Thierry
T
Smith
DGR/GAT, Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (French Geological Survey) et UMR 7327 CNRS-Université d'Orléans-BRGM, Orléans, France.
Florence
F
Quesnel
Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement des Pays de l'Oise, Verberie, France.
Gaël
G
De Plöeg
Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements (UMR7207 CNRS-MNHN-UPMC), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Dario
D
De Franceschi
Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements (UMR7207 CNRS-MNHN-UPMC), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Grégoire
G
Métais
Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Eric
E
De Bast
Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Floréal
F
Solé
Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgium.
Annelise
A
Folie
Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements (UMR7207 CNRS-MNHN-UPMC), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Anaïs
A
Boura
Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France.
Julien
J
Claude
Géologie GFA, Faculté Polytechnique, Université de Mons, Mons, Belgium.
Christian
C
Dupuis
Institut Polytechnique LaSalle-Beauvais, Beauvais, France.
Cyril
C
Gagnaison
Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Alina
A
Iakovleva
School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Jeremy
J
Martin
Lafarge Granulats Seine Nord, Paris, France.
François
F
Maubert
Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement des Pays de l'Oise, Verberie, France.
Judicaël
J
Prieur
Département de Géologie, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Emile
E
Roche
Département de Géologie, Université de Namur, Namur, Belgium.
Jean-Yves
JY
Storme
Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements (UMR7207 CNRS-MNHN-UPMC), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle et Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Romain
R
Thomas
Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Kantarawichai, Thailand.
Haiyan
H
Tong
Département de Géologie, Université de Namur, Namur, Belgium.
Johan
J
Yans
CNRS (UMR 8538), Laboratoire de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
Eric
E
Buffetaut
D000663:Amphibians / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001717:Birds / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005060:Europe; D005399:Fishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification; D005580:Fossils; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D008322:Mammals / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification; D010163:Paleontology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010944:Plants / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification; D012104:Reptiles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification
D002247:Carbon Isotopes