Plio-Pleistocene hydrothermal events of the Baza Basin, Betic Cordillera, SE Spain, and their paleoecological implications

Identifier:  imarina:9438019

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9438019

Authors:  José Manuel García Aguilar; Isidoro Campaña Lozano; Bienvenido Martínez Navarro; Antonio Guerra Merchán; María Dolores Rodríguez Ruiz; Guillermo Rodríguez Gómez; Alejandro Granados López; Laura León Reina; María Patrocinio Espigares Ortiz; Sergio Ros Montoya; Paul Palmqvist Barrena

Abstract:
The Lower Pliocene to upper Middle Pleistocene continental sedimentary infllings of the Baza Basin (Guadix-Baza Depression, SE Spain) are worldwide unique by their high stratigraphic completeness and exceptional preservation of their fossil record of terrestrial vertebrates. These sediments were deposited in fuvio-lacustrine environments and preserve huge assemblages of large mammals, including the oldest evidence of hominin presence in Western Europe at the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva-3, dated to ∼1.4 Ma. Since latest Miocene times, the basin was subject to intense tectonic activity, showing sedimentary deposits originated from ancient hot springs. These hot springs were developed in a spatio-temporal network related to tectonic fractures, showing a higher concentration in the Orce sub-basin during Late Pliocene to Holocene times. Compositional analyses of cherts and other facies associated with these hot springs show geochemical and mineralogical markers linked to hydrothermal scenarios. The contribution of hot springs in the Baza Basin resulted in rich and productive biotopes, which supported a high diversity and biomass of terrestrial mammals. Similar geological, hydrochemical and ecological environments are found along hotspot lines in East Africa, the Levantine Corridor and the circum-Mediterranean realm. We hypothesize here that the presence of these hot springs corridors favored the dispersal of hominins and other large mammals during the Plio-Pleistocene, which led to the frst hominin arrival in Europe.