Oligocene stratigraphy across the Eocene and Miocene boundaries in the Valley of Lakes (Mongolia).

ABSTRACT: Cenozoic sediments of the Taatsiin Gol and TaatsiinTsagaan Nuur area are rich in fossils that provide unique evidence of mammal evolution in Mongolia. The strata are intercalated with basalt flows. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data of the basalts frame the time of sediment deposition and mammal evolution and enable a composite age chronology for the studied area. We investigated 20 geological sections and 6 fossil localities of Oligocene and early Miocene deposits from this region. Seventy fossil beds yielded more than 19,000 mammal fossils. This huge collection encompasses 175 mammal species: 50% Rodentia, 13% Eulipotyphla and Didelphomorphia, and 12% Lagomorpha. The remaining 25% of species are distributed among herbivorous and carnivorous large mammals. The representation of lower ve

SUBMITTER: Daxner-Hock G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5367740 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature