Better molecular preservation of organic matter in an oxic than in a sulfidic depositional environment: Evidence from Thalassiphora pelagica (Dinoflagellata, Eocene) cysts

Anoxic sediments, as compared to oxic settings, encompass a much higher proportion of relatively labile and thus more reactive organic matter, naturally giving rise to structural changes of the organic molecules themselves, as well as cross-linking between them (e.g., through reactive sulfur species). Both processes transform the original...

Re-interpreting the biochronology of the La Celia and Los Gargantones mammal sites (Late Miocene, Murcia, Spain)

The biochronological age of the small-mammal populations of Los Gargantones 1, 2 and La Celia (upper Miocene, La Celia sub-basin, Murcia, Spain) is re-interpreted. The presence in Los Gargantones of Occitanomys adroveri, Parapodemus barbarae, Parapodemus cf. gaudryi, Huerzelerimys turoliensis, Atlantoxerus cf. adroveri, and Alilepus evidences a...

Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus)

Although the recent history of human colonisation and impact on Mauritius is well documented, virtually no records of the pre-human native ecosystem exist, making it difficult to assess the magnitude of the changes brought about by human settlement. Here, we describe a 4000-year-old fossil bed at Mare aux Songes (MAS) in south-eastern Mauritius...

Neogene stratigraphy of the Langenboom locality (Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands)

The locality of Langenboom (eastern Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands), also known as Mill, is famous for its Neogene molluscs, shark teeth, teleost remains, birds and marine mammals. The stratigraphic context of the fossils, which have been collected from sand suppletions, was hitherto poorly understood. Here we report on a section which has been...