| Somosaguas paleontological site | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Middle Aragonian (≈Langhian-Serravallian). | |
 Somosaguas Norte paleontological site, located in the Somosaguas campus of the Complutense University, next to the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology and the Faculty of Social Work. | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Location | |
| Location | Madrid, Spain |
| Coordinates | 40°25′51″N 3°47′19″W / 40.430833°N 3.788556°W |
| Region | Southern Plateau of the Iberian Peninsula |
| Country | Spain |
The Somosaguas fossil site is located in the Community of Madrid, in the Somosaguas campus, within the municipality of Pozuelo de Alarcón (Spain).[1] The fossils found belong to the fauna of the Aragonian continental stage (middle Miocene), about 14 million years ago.[1] The sediments where the remains are found were deposited in an alluvial fan sedimentary environment.[2] The site itself is formed by two zones with fossil presence, separated by 60 m (200 ft): Somosaguas Norte, which occupies an upper stratigraphic position, and Somosaguas Sur.[3]
The site was discovered in 1989 by a geology student near the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Complutense University, when he observed bone fragments in the ground.[4][5] The student reported the discovery to Professor Nieves López Martínez, who verified that the remains were fossils, and in turn reported it to the Department of Paleobiology of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales.[4]
- ^ a b Hernández Fernández, M.; Cárdaba, J. A.; Cuevas-González, J.; Fesharaki, O.; Salesa, M. J.; Corrales, B.; Domingo, L.; Elez, J.; López Guerrero, P.; Sala-Burgos, N.; Morales, J.; López Martínez, N. (2006). "Los yacimientos de vertebrados del Mioceno medio de Somosaguas (Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid): implicaciones paleoambientales y paleoclimáticas". Estudios Geológicos (in Spanish). 62: 263–294. ISSN 0367-0449.
- ^ Mínguez Gandú, David (2000). "Marco estratigráfico y sedimentológico de los yacimientos paleontológicos miocenos de Somosaguas (Madrid, España)". Coloquios de paleontología (in Spanish). 51: 183–195. ISSN 1132-1660.
- ^ López Martínez, N.; Élez, J.; Hernando Hernando, J. M.; Cavia, A. Luis; Mazo, A.; Mímguez Gandú, David; Morales, J.; Polonio, I. Martín; Salesa, M. J.; Sánchez, I. M. (2000). "Los fósiles de Vertebrados de Somosaguas (Pozuelo, Madrid)". Coloquios de paleontología (in Spanish). 51: 71–85. ISSN 1132-1660.
- ^ a b "Los 'estudiantes' prehistóricos de Somosaguas". El Mundo (in Spanish). January 9, 2003. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ de la Fuente, Lucía (November 13, 2009). "Catorce millones de años después". madridiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved January 6, 2011.