Mammal Paleogene zones

The Mammal Paleogene zones or MP zones are a system of biostratigraphic zones in the stratigraphic record used to correlate mammal-bearing fossil localities of the Paleogene period of Europe. It consists of thirty consecutive zones (numbered MP 1 through MP 30; MN 8 and 9 have been joined into MN 8 + 9 zone; and MP 17 zone is split into two zones - MP 17A and MP 17B zone) defined through reference faunas, well-known sites that other localities can be correlated with. MP 1 is the earliest zone, and MP 30 is the most recent. The Grande Coupure extinction and faunal turnover event marks the boundary between MP 20 and MP 21, the post-Grande Coupure faunas occurring by MP 21 onward. The MP zones are complementary with the MN zones in the Neogene.

These zones were proposed at the Congress in Mainz held in 1987 to help paleontologists provide more specific reference points to evolutionary events in Europe, but are used by paleontologists on other continents as well.[1]

Epoch ICS age ELMMZ Age (Ma)
Miocene Aquitanian Agenian younger
Oligocene Chattian Arvernian 23.03–29.2
Rupelian
Suevian 29.2–33.8
Headonian 33.8–37.2
Eocene Priabonian
Bartonian Robiacian 37.2–42.7
Lutetian
Geiseltalian 42.7–48.5
Grauvian 48.5–50.8
Ypresian
Neustrian 50.8–55.0
Paleocene Thanetian
Cernaysian 55.0–55.9
Subdivision of the Paleogene period into European Land Mammal Mega Zones (ELMMZ).

The zones are as follows:

Interval Start End ICS stages[2]
MP 30 23.2 Ma[3] 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma[1][4][3] Chattian
MP 29 23.9 Ma[3] 23.2 Ma Chattian
MP 28 24.6 ± 0.1 Ma[4][3] 23.9 Ma Chattian
MP 27 25.4 Ma[3] 24.6 ± 0.1 Ma Chattian
MP 26 27.3 Ma[3] 25.4 Ma Chattian
MP 25 28.8 Ma[3] 27.3 Ma Chattian - Rupelian
MP 24 30.0 Ma[3] 28.8 Ma Rupelian
MP 23 30.9 ± 0.1 Ma[4][3] 30.0 Ma Rupelian
MP 22 32.5 Ma[3] 30.9 ± 0.1 Ma Rupelian
MP 21 33.9 ± 0.05 Ma[4][3] 32.5 Ma Rupelian
MP 20 34.0 Ma[3] 33.9 ± 0.05 Ma Priabonian
MP 19 35.0 Ma[3] 34.0 Ma Priabonian
MP 18 37.0 Ma[3] 35.0 Ma Priabonian
MP 17B 37.5 Ma[3] 37.0 Ma Priabonian
MP 17A 37.8 Ma[3] 37.5 Ma Priabonian
MP 16 40.0 Ma[3] 37.8 Ma Bartonian
MP 15 41.2 Ma[3] 40.0 Ma Lutetian
MP 14 43.5 Ma[3] 41.2 Ma Lutetian
MP 13 44.9 Ma[3] 43.5 Ma Lutetian
MP 12 46.3 Ma[3] 44.9 Ma Lutetian
MP 11 47.8 Ma[3] 46.3 Ma Lutetian
MP 10 50.8 Ma[3] 47.8 Ma Ypresian
MP 8 + 9 55.2 Ma[3] 50.8 Ma Ypresian
MP 7 56.0 Ma[3] 55.2 Ma Ypresian
MP 6 57.2 Ma[3] 56.0 Ma Thanetian
MP 5 57.2 Ma Thanetian
MP 4 Paleocene series
MP 3 Paleocene series
MP 2 Paleocene series
MP 1 66.043 ± 0.011 Ma[5] 61.7 ± 0.05 Ma[6] Danian
  1. ^ a b Norbert Schmidt-Kittler (ed.) "International symposium on mammalian biostratigraphy and paleoecology of the European Paleogene, Mainz, February 18th-21st 1987." Münchner geowiss. Abh., 10, 1-311.
  2. ^ International Commission on Stratigraphy (2021.) - INTERNATIONAL CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC CHART
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Floréal Solé; Bernard Marandat; Fabrice Lihoreau (2020). "The hyaenodonts (Mammalia) from the French locality of Aumelas (Hérault), with possible new representatives from the late Ypresian". Geodiversitas. 42 (13): 185–214. doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2020v42a13.
  4. ^ a b c d İslamoğlu, Yeşim; Harzhauser, Mathias; Gross, Martin; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Čorić, Stjepan; Kroh, Andreas; Rögl, Fred; van der Made, Jan (2006). "From Tethys to Eastern Paratethys: Oligocene depositional environments, paleoecology and paleobiogeography of the Thrace Basin (NW Turkey)". International Journal of Earth Sciences. 99 (1). Springer: 183–200. doi:10.1007/s00531-008-0378-0.
  5. ^ Renne; et al. (2013). "Time Scales of Critical Events Around the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary". Science. 339 (6120): 684–7. Bibcode:2013Sci...339..684R. doi:10.1126/science.1230492. PMID 23393261. S2CID 6112274.
  6. ^ Alroy, John (2006). "Mammal Paleogene zones". p. The Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 17 July 2009.