The age of the “Grande Coupure” mammal turnover: New constraints from the Eocene–Oligocene record of the Eastern Ebro Basin (NE Spain)

The Grande Coupure represents a major terrestrial faunal turnover recorded in Eurasia associated with the overall climate shift at the Eocene–Oligocene transition. During this event, a large number of European Eocene endemic mammals became extinct and new Asian immigrants appeared. The absolute age of the Grande Coupure, however, has remained controversial for decades. The Late Eocene–Oligocene continental record of the Eastern Ebro Basin (NE Spain) constitutes a unique opportunity to build a robust magnetostratigraphy-based chronostratigraphy which can contribute with independent age constraints for this important turnover. This study presents new magnetostratigraphic data of a 495-m-thick section (Moià-Santpedor) that ranges from 36.1 Ma to 33.3 Ma. The integration of the new results with previous litho- bio- and magnetostratigraphic records of the Ebro Basin yields accurate ages for the immediately pre- and post-Grand Coupure mammal fossil assemblages found in the study area, bracketing the Grande Coupure to an age embracing the Eocene–Oligocene transition, with a maximum allowable lag of 0.5 Myr with respect to this boundary. The shift to drier conditions that accompanied the global cooling at the Eocene–Oligocene transition probably determined the sedimentary trends in the Eastern Ebro Basin. The occurrence and expansion of an amalgamated-channel sandstone unit is interpreted as the forced response of the fluvial fan system to the transient retraction of the central-basin lake systems. The new results from the Ebro Basin allow us to revisit correlations for the controversial Eocene–Oligocene record of the Hampshire Basin (Isle of Wight, UK), and their implications for the calibration of the Mammal Palaeogene reference levels MP18 to MP21.

► The age of the Grande Coupure is constrained by means of magnetostratigraphy.
► Sedimentary trends points to a shift to drier conditions at the E/O transition.
► Ebro Basin record further constrains the chronology of the Hampshire Basin.
► New calibration is proposed for the MP18 to MP21 European mammal reference levels.