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Sedimentology and taphonomy of sirenian remains from the Middle Eocene of the Pamplona Basin (Navarre, western Pyrenees)

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Abstract

Sirenian vertebrae and ribs have been recently discovered from two Middle Eocene localities of the Pamplona Basin, Navarre (western Pyrenees). These outcrops correspond to different lower Bartonian lithostratigraphic units: the lower part of the Pamplona Marl Formation (Uztarrotz site) and the upper part of the Ardanatz Sandstone (Ardanatz site). The former represents a deep and low-energy sea floor far away from a deltaic slope; the Ardanatz environment probably corresponds to a semi-closed deltaic bay periodically affected by catastrophic floods (i.e., fluvial hyperpycnal flows). The presence of epibiontic activity suggests that the bones were exposed for a while prior to the burial. The histological structures are well preserved except in the peripheral region, where tubular-like microstructures filled by pyrite and iron oxides probably correspond to microbial bioerosion. The major mineral component of the fossil bones is francolite (carbonate fluorapatite). In the Ardanatz samples there is evidence of secondary francolite due to the late replacement of original carbonate fluorapatite through internal fractures. The Ardanatz and Uztarrotz sirenian fossils do not show any evidence of reelaboration. They have similar sum of rare earth elements (REE) concentrations relative to the host rock, but comparatively lower than in other vertebrate fossil bones. This feature may be due to the dense compact structure of pachyosteosclerotic sirenian bones.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Mr. José Luis Belzunegi for collecting and supplying the Ardanatz fossils and to Mr Gustavo Gaspar for lending to study the Uztarrotz remains and showing us the outcrop. Special thanks to Dr Alejandro Cearreta (UPV/EHU, Dpto. Estratigrafía y Paleontología) for his interpretation of micropalaeontological data, Dr Isabel Salcedo (UPV/EHU, Dpto. Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Laboratorio de Botánica) for her useful comments about microbial activity, and to the referees Prof. Dr. André Freiwald (Universität Erlangen) and Prof. Dr. H.-U. Pfretzschner (Universität Tübingen) for their advice on the manuscript. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of Spain (BOS2000-1369 and BTE2002-03806) and by the Universidad del País Vasco/EHU (9/UPV 00121.310-15303/2003 and 14455/2002). The research work of the third author (X.P.S.) was supported by the Programa Ramón y Cajal of the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, and that of the fifth author (A.B.) by a Ph.D. grant of the Universidad del País Vasco/EHU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080, Bilbao, Spain

    Humberto Astibia, Aitor Payros, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, Ana Berreteaga & Ainara Badiola

  2. Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080, Bilbao, Spain

    Javier Elorza

  3. Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080, Bilbao, Spain

    Nestor Etxebarria

  4. Departamento de Geodinámica y Paleontología, Universidad de Huelva, Campus del Carmen, 21071, Huelva, Spain

    Josep Tosquella

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  1. Humberto Astibia
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Correspondence to Humberto Astibia.

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Astibia, H., Payros, A., Suberbiola, X.P. et al. Sedimentology and taphonomy of sirenian remains from the Middle Eocene of the Pamplona Basin (Navarre, western Pyrenees). Facies 50, 463–475 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-004-0026-5

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