Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dan Valentin Palcu, Irina Stanislavovna Patina, Ionut Sandric, Sergei Lazarev, Iuliana Vasiliev, Marius Stoica, Wout Krijgsman
Summary: The largest megalake in the late Miocene Eurasia experienced several episodes of hydrological instability and partial desiccation, with major regressions correlating with aridification events, vegetation changes and faunal turnovers in Europe. The Paratethys Sea was profoundly transformed during regression episodes, losing significant water volume and surface area. Partial desiccations of the megalake matched with climate, food-web and landscape changes throughout Eurasia, although the exact triggers and mechanisms remain unresolved.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Geology
Andriy Bratishko, Werner Schwarzhans, Yuliia Vernyhorova
Summary: This study reports a rich otolith-based fish fauna from the middle Sarmatian in Jurkine, Crimea. The fauna includes 36 different species, 24 of which are new. It represents the first major otolith association described in the Bessarabian. The fauna is primarily composed of marine shelf fishes derived from the Volhynian fauna.
RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Imre Magyar
Summary: Clinoforms and clinothems play a significant role in the sedimentary record of basins worldwide and can impact chronostratigraphic interpretations. In non-marine basins like the Neogene Paratethyan basins, fossils of environmentally sensitive molluscs are used for chronostratigraphic division and correlation. However, in subsurface settings, the boundaries between clinoforms can lead to confusion in chronostratigraphy. Additionally, dating uncertainties remain high for certain time intervals in the late Neogene and Pliocene.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Geology
Iraj Maghfouri Moghaddam
Summary: This study documented the facies analysis and paleogeographical reconstruction of the Asmari Formation in the Lorestan and Dezful Embayment Zones through the study of outcrop sections and wells. The results of this study provide important information for the understanding of the evolution of the carbonate ramp during the Early Oligocene-Middle Miocene time.
CARBONATES AND EVAPORITES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Marie Laugie, Yannick Donnadieu, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Laurent Bopp, Christian Ethe, Francois Raisson
Summary: The study conducted numerical simulations of the Cenomanian period to understand the controls on oceanic oxygen and the initial conditions of the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2). It found that paleogeography and ocean circulation were crucial factors in the development of oxygen depletion, with the Central American Seaway depth playing a significant role. The research suggests that changes in paleogeography and gateways were major influencers of oceanic circulation and oxygen distribution, creating conditions necessary for the OAE2 to occur.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Jean-Paul Saint Martin, Didier Merle, Simona Saint Martin
Summary: The Sarmatian layers in Gramada, North-West Bulgaria, feature metric-sized calcareous cylinders with concentric and vertical structuring. These cylinders are composed of sequences of micritic carbonate crusts, primarily of algal origin (red algae) along with some microbial components. The lack of associated fauna raises questions about the depositional environment and the encrustation processes around possible vegetal supports like petrified forests.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Wenwei Guo, Jinnan Tong, Qi He, Mark W. Hounslow, Huyue Song, Jacopo Dal Corso, Paul B. Wignall, Jahandar Ramezani, Li Tian, Daoliang Chu
Summary: A detailed magnetostratigraphic study was conducted on the Shichuanhe section in North China, providing a magnetic polarity scale for the Late Permian-early Middle Triassic interval. The study reveals consistent results with previous research, enabling interregional correlations. The established magnetostratigraphic framework and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy offer insights into the timing of terrestrial ecological crisis in North China.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ali Soliman, Werner E. Piller, Karen Dybkjaer, Hamid Slimani, Gerald Auer
Summary: This study conducted pollen analysis on the Middle Miocene sediment in the Bad Deutsch-Altenburg area of the Vienna Basin, Austria for the first time. The results revealed a diverse and well-preserved in situ dinoflagellate cyst association, which showed similarities with the Middle Miocene assemblages of the Mediterranean. This suggests water exchanges between the Central Paratethys and the Mediterranean during the late Badenian.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
N. V. Salnaia, Yu. V. Rostovtseva, O. V. Pilipenko, A. S. Kudashin
Summary: This study presents the rock-magnetic and palaeomagnetic results of Upper Miocene sediments from Taman Peninsula, specifically the Cape Popov Kamen and Cape Panagia sections. The analysis revealed three different components of magnetization with varying characteristics and ages. The findings suggest that magnetostratigraphy cannot be used for dating the sections due to incomplete or partial remagnetization.
IZVESTIYA-PHYSICS OF THE SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Werner W. Schwarzhans, Andriy Bratishko, Yuliia V. Vernyhorova
Summary: During the Serravallian and Tortonian, the Paratethys formed a large inland marine water body with diverse environmental changes. The Khersonian Crisis in the Late Miocene led to the demise of stenohaline marine fishes in the Eastern Paratethys. A significant change in the fish fauna and benthic foraminifera composition indicates the spreading of suboxic sea bottom conditions as a precursor to the Khersonian Crisis.
PALAEONTOLOGIA ELECTRONICA
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Lachie Scarsbrook, Kieren J. Mitchell, Matthew D. Mcgee, Gerard P. Closs, Nicolas J. Rawlence
Summary: By using high-throughput DNA sequencing, researchers revealed the evolutionary relationship between Southern Hemisphere graylings in New Zealand and Australia. The study found a common ancestor between the two species and suggested a potential marine dispersal event followed by isolation and speciation. This study provides important insights into the extinction drivers of the New Zealand grayling and highlights the application of paleogenetics in fish evolution research.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Enrique Correa, Javier Helenes, Andres Pardo-Trujillo
Summary: Changes in dinoflagellate assemblages in western Colombia indicate regional paleoceanographic events. The study reveals marine deposition from the middle to late Miocene, with more warm water taxa in the dinoflagellate cyst assemblages. The dominance of different taxa in different time intervals is correlated with global cooling and tropical climate events.
MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. Popov, V. G. Pronin
Summary: This study presents data on the most complete Neogene sections and wells in the northern Ustyurt and Cis-Aral area. The Miocene deposits in this region consist of sediments from the Tarkhanian, Chokrakian, Karaganian, Konkian, and Sarmatian regional stages, with lower Pontian beds overlapped. The main synclinal structure in the region is the North Ustyurt depression, which played a significant role in the spread of Miocene transgressions. Sandy material brought by rivers from the north, particularly the Chokrakian age, can be traced to the axial part of the depression. Pulses of transgressions occurred, with the lower and middle Sarmatian deposits being the most widespread.
RUSSIAN GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Olaf Hoeltke, Erin E. Maxwell, Helmut Bracher, Michael W. Rasser
Summary: In an abandoned sand pit in Ballendorf (Alb-Donau District, Baden-Wurttemberg), sediments of the Lower Miocene were found, containing 39 shark and ray species belonging to 29 genera. Nearly all of the taxa found have Recent relatives and lived on or near the bottom in the shelf region, with some exceptions living higher in the water column. Most of the taxa fed on invertebrates and/or fishes, indicating a warm, shallow-water habitat.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Olaf Hoeltke, Erin E. Maxwell, Juergen Pollerspoeck, Michael W. Rasser
Summary: The sandpit near Rengetsweiler in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany is a well-known fossil locality for shark and ray teeth from the Lower Miocene. The fossils indicate a fully marine, warm temperate and shallow water environment at the site. Most of the shark and ray genera lived in the neritic realm, while some deep-water species occasionally entered the shallow sea.
NEUES JAHRBUCH FUR GEOLOGIE UND PALAONTOLOGIE-ABHANDLUNGEN
(2022)
Article
Geology
Elisabeth L. Jorissen, Hemmo A. Abels, Frank P. Wesselingh, Sergei Lazarev, Vusala Aghayeva, Wout Krijgsman
Article
Geography, Physical
Erhan Gulyuz, Hulya Durak, Murat Ozkaptan, Wout Krijgsman
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2020)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dan Palcu, Joy R. Muraszko, Plinio F. Jaqueto, Luigi Jovane
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ashley S. Hammond, Silindokuhle S. Mavuso, Maryse Biernat, David R. Braun, Zubair Jinnah, Sharon Kuo, Sahleselasie Melaku, Sylvia N. Wemanya, Emmanuel K. Ndiema, David B. Patterson, Kevin T. Uno, Dan V. Palcu
Summary: The study confirms the age of KNM-ER 2598 to be older than 1.855 million years, locating it as Homo erectus and uncovering fossils of C-4 grazers, as well as additional hominin fossils.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Iuliana Vasiliev, Marius Stoica, Arjen Grothe, Sergei Lazarev, Dan Valentin Palcu, Christiaan van Baak, Arjan De Leeuw, Francesca Sangiorgi, Gert-Jan Reichart, Gareth R. Davies, Wout Krijgsman
Summary: The Dacian Basin uniquely recorded late Miocene hydrological changes and connectivity from the latest Tortonian to the early Pleistocene, with differences in strontium isotope ratios providing insights into depositional environments and faunal dispersal in Central Eurasia's mega-lake Paratethys.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dan Valentin Palcu, Irina Stanislavovna Patina, Ionut Sandric, Sergei Lazarev, Iuliana Vasiliev, Marius Stoica, Wout Krijgsman
Summary: The largest megalake in the late Miocene Eurasia experienced several episodes of hydrological instability and partial desiccation, with major regressions correlating with aridification events, vegetation changes and faunal turnovers in Europe. The Paratethys Sea was profoundly transformed during regression episodes, losing significant water volume and surface area. Partial desiccations of the megalake matched with climate, food-web and landscape changes throughout Eurasia, although the exact triggers and mechanisms remain unresolved.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Geanina A. Butiseaca, Iuliana Vasiliev, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Wout Krijgsman, Dan V. Palcu, Angelica Feurdean, Eva M. Niedermeyer, Andreas Mulch
Summary: The study investigates the impact of the Paratethys water body on the Eurasian climate during the middle and late Miocene period. The results show three exceptionally evaporative intervals at 9.65, 9.4, and 7.9 Ma, which are associated with aridity, increased fire activity, and changes in vegetation. The data suggest a strong regional imprint on climate patterns and evidence of severe droughts affecting the late Miocene circum-Paratethys region.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Stephanie Leone, Dan Palcu, Priyeshu Srivastava, Muhammad Bin Hassan, Joy R. Muraszko, Luigi Jovane
Summary: By analyzing sediment samples from Greenland and Iceland, we found that basaltic sediments from Iceland were dominant during glacial periods in the North Atlantic basin, while non-basaltic sediments from Greenland and other sources were identified during interglacial periods. We also discovered a new type of coarse lithic fragments, classified as Iceberg-Rafted Debris, with distinctive magnetic properties. Our findings highlight the importance of magnetic and particle size analysis in characterizing glacial episodes in the subpolar North Atlantic.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Geology
Andriy Bratishko, Werner Schwarzhans, Yuliia Vernyhorova
Summary: This study reports a rich otolith-based fish fauna from the middle Sarmatian in Jurkine, Crimea. The fauna includes 36 different species, 24 of which are new. It represents the first major otolith association described in the Bessarabian. The fauna is primarily composed of marine shelf fishes derived from the Volhynian fauna.
RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dan V. Palcu, Izabela Maris, Arjan de Leeuw, Mihaela Melinte-Dobrinescu, Eliza Anton, Dumitru Frunzescu, Sergey Popov, Marius Stoica, Luigi Jovane, Wout Krijgsman
Summary: Paratethys was a large anoxic sea that lasted for 15-20 million years in central Eurasia. It transformed into a megalkae that was filled with sediment from nearby mountain ranges. Most stratigraphic records are incomplete, except for the Outer Carpathian Basin, which preserved a complete record of Paratethys' rise and fall.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Amelia Villasenor, Kevin T. Uno, Rahab N. Kinyanjui, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Rene Bobe, Eldert L. Advokaat, Marion Bamford, Susana C. Carvalho, Ashley S. Hammond, Dan Palcu, Mark J. Sier, Carol Ward, David R. Braun
Summary: This study describes a new hominin locality from the Koobi Fora Formation in the Turkana Basin, dated to 3.60-3.44 Ma. By analyzing multiple proxies, including sedimentology, associated mammalian fauna, phytoliths, and stable isotopes, the paleoenvironment of the locality and its surroundings is reconstructed. The results indicate that the Pliocene hominins inhabited a biodiverse community of primates in a humid, grassy woodland setting, with woody vegetation resilient to periods of aridity, similar to the vegetation structure in the Turkana Basin today.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
S. V. Popov, L. A. Golovina, D. V. Palcu, I. A. Goncharova, T. N. Pinchuk, Yu. V. Rostovtseva, M. A. Akhmetiev, G. N. Aleksandrova, N. I. Zaporozhets, A. F. Bannikov, M. E. Bylinskaya, S. Yu. Lazarev
Summary: This article revises the stratigraphic scale of the Eastern Paratethys based on a study of the Neogene stratotype and reference sections, providing new data on regional subdivisions and their correlation with the Central Paratethys and Mediterranean stratotypes. It also discusses the history of identification, biotic characteristics, and stratigraphic methods, as well as the main results of the stratigraphic scheme revision.
PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wout Krijgsman, Iuliana Vasiliev, Anouk Beniest, Timothy Lyons, Johanna Lofi, Gabor Tari, Caroline P. Slomp, Namik Cagatay, Maria Triantaphyllou, Rachel Flecker, Dan Palcu, Cecilia McHugh, Helge Arz, Pierre Henry, Karen Lloyd, Gunay Cifci, Ozgur Sipahioglu, Dimitris Sakellariou
Summary: The MagellanPlus workshop BlackGate discussed the dynamic evolution of the Mediterranean-Black Sea gateway and its environmental consequences. The exchange history of the gateway is poorly understood, and drilling across the gateway is needed to investigate the hydrological changes, biological turnovers, tectonic activities, and carbon cycling. The workshop selected three key drilling sites for further research.
SCIENTIFIC DRILLING
(2022)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wout Krijgsman, Dan Palcu, Federico Andreetto, Marius Stoica, Oleg Mandic
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2020)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yuliia V. Vernyhorova, Tamara S. Ryabokon
TURKISH JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
(2020)