Paleoclimatic correlations between Western european continental and marine areas, Contribution of big villafranchian fauna

Abstract

Key-words: Paleoclimatic correlations; Villafranchian fauna; marine isotopic records. It is very difficult to make paleoclimatic correlations between continental and marine areas, but it is possible with biostratigraphic data. Reliable correlations can be made only between broad periods: between 3.5 and 3 Ma, around 2.4 Ma, until 1.6 Ma and after 1.6 Ma. The arid Mediterranean phases led to the disappearance of the European Villafranchian fauna (1.0 Ma).