Mio-Pleistocene Zanda Basin biostratigraphy and geochronology, pre-Ice Age fauna, and mammalian evolution in western Himalaya

► We report the richest Pliocene mammal assemblage in Zanda Basin, southwestern Tibet. ► We establish a high-resolution biostratigraphy spanning much of the 800 m strata. ► Fossil mammals help to constrain paleomagnetic correlations and geochronology. ► Tibetan mammals are adapted to cold environment in high elevation. ► Mammals in Zanda Basin are a mixture of northern Asian and native Tibetan elements.