The high-resolution sequence stratigraphy and the mammal fossil record: a test in the Middle-Upper Pleistocene deposits of the Roman Basin (Latium, Italy)

In the examined area, the fossiliferous levels are essentially found in transgressive fluvial and fluvio-palustrine deposits filling incised valleys (TST) and in highstand barrier island-lagoon deposits (HST). Excluding some cases where bones show a probable exhumation process, whole discovered mammal remains are mostly coeval with deposits containing them. Based on taphonomic considerations and on depositional and physical stratigraphic settings, a correlation scheme among Roman Pleistocene sequence-stratigraphic units, local faunal complexes and Italian mammal biochrons is proposed. Nevertheless, many problems remain to be clarified before either the correlation between events and the geochronological framework, or the significance and the biochronological value of each faunal assemblage can be considered as definitive.