A stratigraphic framework for the Pliocene-Pleistocene continental sediments of the Guadix Basin (Betic Cordillera, S. Spain)

Abstract

The central sector of the Guadix Basin (Betic Cordillera, S. Spain) hosts some of the most significant Pleistocene large-mammal sites in Europe. The basin infill is divided into six genetic units, the three lower with marine sediments and the remainder mainly continental. As the environmental characterization of the sediments is crucial to understand the ecologic and geologic processes leading to the formation of these sites, a stratigraphic, sedimentologic and petrologic study is presented. Combining a lithologic correlation with previous biostratigraphic data and new magnetostratigraphic data, a detailed litho-, bio- and magnetostratigraphic scheme has been developed for the study area. It shows the stratigraphic architecture of the central sector of the Guadix Basin, together with the age and the relative spatial position of the most important mammal sites. As well, it has been also helpful to identify several isochronous surfaces, to establish the exact position and the age of the boundary between the two last units of the continental infill in the Guadix Basin and to calculate sedimentation rates.