Geo-Marine Letters

, Volume 14, Issue 2–3, pp 185–191 | Cite as

The “calcari aLucina” macrofauna reconsidered: Deep-sea faunal oases from Miocene-age cold vents in the Romagna Apennine, Italy

  • M. Taviani
Article
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Revised:

Abstract

Recent suggestions that the Miocene-age “calcari aLucina” blocks scattered in the Apennine chain of the Italian peninsula are methanogenic in nature (paleo cold vents) calls for a reexamination of their macrofauna. Two Tortonian-age outcrops of such limestones (Case Rovereti and Montepetra) have been analyzed for their mollusk content and shown to host a diverse vent fauna. The paleoassemblages show remarkable similarities with modern counterparts associated with hydrocarbon venting on the Gulf of Mexico continental slope. Faunal data from both sites lend support to the hypothesis that methane/hydrocarbon venting was active during the Miocene and sustained specialized bathyal chemosynthetic communities in the ancient Mediterranean.

Keywords

Hydrocarbon Miocene Mollusk Continental Slope Remarkable Similarity 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1994

Authors and Affiliations

  • M. Taviani
    • 1
  1. 1.Istituto per la Geologia Marina, C.N.R.BolognaItaly

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