INTRODUCTION
The biochronology of continental mammal faunas, because of the discontinuity of the continental sedimen- tary record, has usually been based on the stage of evo- lution reached by selected, well-defined lineages of mammals, and on first/last occurrence bioevents that have been documented in various continental strati- graphic records. Moreover, due to paleoenvironmental conditions as well as taphonomic and sampling biases, fossil remains of taxa even if living during the time char- acterising a given biochronological unit do not necessary appear in the fossiliferous assemblages. Also, if they are present, the stratigraphic order of their lowest known occurrences in a given section does not necessarily reflect the temporal order of their first appearances with- in this specific local sub area. Consequently, the appear- ance and extinction (palaeobiological events) of a given taxon have not to be confused respectively with the first/oldest and last/youngest (stratigraphically lowest and highest) occurrences of its fossil remains in a given stratigraphic succession.
The late Middle Pleistocene faunal complex of the Campagna Romana was characterised by the appear- ance, though at different points in time, of Ursus spelaeus, Canis lupus, a large horse with advanced mor- phology, Megaloceros giganteus and Dama dama “tibe- rina”, a fallow deer showing affinities with the extant forms. Within this faunal complex, two distinct types of associations have been distinguished, ascribed to Torre in Pietra and Vitinia faunal units (FUs). The latter would
be characterised, with respect to the former, essentially by the abundance of Dama dama “tiberina”, by the appearance of Cervus elaphus, with features similar to those of extant European red deer, and of Equus hydruntinus. Both these FUs have been defined on the basis of palaentological and stratigraphic data collected in the Campagna Romana area (cfr. Caloi et al., 1998 and references there in). Nevertheless, the subdivision in two faunal units of the late Middle Pleistocene mammal faunas (early and middle Aurelian mammal age, sensu Gliozzi et al., 1997), so far utilised by Italian palaeontol- ogists, seems to be based on week palaentological evi- dence.
Aim of the paper is to illustrate the stratigraphic evi- dence according to which the abundance of the Dama dama “tiberina” cannot be regarded as a marker repre- sentative of the Vitinia FU because the presence of this form had already been recognised in the fossils of the Torre in Pietra FU. This consideration together with new stratigraphic and radiometric dating of the Campagna Romana suggests therefore to consider the Torre in Pietra as the unique late Middle Pleistocene FU.
STRATIGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGICAL SETTING
The Roman Basin (Fig. 1) is located along the Latium Tyrrhenian margin and was affected by extensional tec- tonic since the Late Miocene in connection to the open- ing of the Tyrrhenian Sea. In this basin the Rome area ABSTRACT - Many Middle Pleistocene vertebrate assemblages of the Campagna Romana occur in well defi- ned sedimentary units and are characterised by an abundance of fossil remains which enable us to recognise seve- ral faunal complexes. In particular, the faunas occurring in deposits correlated with the OISs 9 and 7 (Aurelia and Vitinia Formations) have been respectively attributed to the Torre in Pietra and Vitinia FUs, being the latter essen- tially characterised, with respect to the former, by the abundance of Dama dama “tiberina”. The stratigraphic reinterpretation of some outcrops in the urban area of Rome (Sedia del Diavolo, Monte delle Gioie), where this taxon occurred, in addition to analysis of new outcrops and new radiometric dating, suggest a revision of the biochronological scheme up to now adopted. Basing on these data and taking into account that the bioevents uti- lised to define the Vitina FU are predated, this FU may be suppressed. Consequently the Middle-Upper Pleistocene faunal complexes of the Latium coastal area, occurring in the Aurelia and Vitinia Formations or in the fourth order depositional sequences PG6 (OIS 10-8 partim) and PG7 (OIS 8-6 partim) by Milli (1997), must be referred to the Torre in Pietra FU that in its new acceptation is characterised by the first appearance of Canis lupus, Ursus spe- laeus, Megaloceros giganteus, Dama dama, by the persistence of Dama clactoniana and by the assemblage of Elephas antiquus, Bos primigenius and cervids.
KEYWORDS: Mammal biochronology, sequence stratigraphy, Middle-Late Pleistocene, Campagna Romana.
REMARKS ON THE BIOCHRONOLOGY OF THE
LATE MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE MAMMALIAN FAUNAL COMPLEXES OF THE CAMPAGNA ROMANA (LATIUM, ITALY)
Maria Rita Palombo*°^, Salvatore Milli*°^, Carlo Rosa**
*Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 - 00185 Roma
°CNR, Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Sezione di Roma “La Sapienza”
^Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Piazza Mincio 2 - 00198 Roma
**Fondazione Ing. Carlo Maurilio Lerici - Politecnico di Milano, Via Vittorio Veneto 108 - 00187 Roma
has particularly been studied because of the abundance of vertebrate fossil remains; several Authors have also investigated the geological and stratigraphic setting of this area proposing a paleogeographic reconstruction during the Plio-Pleistocene as result of the interaction among three main processes: the glacio-eustatic sea- level fluctuations connected to climatic changes, the vol- canic activity and the tectonic uplift of the Latium Tyrrhenian margin (Conato et al., 1980; De Rita et al., 1991, 1994; Cavinato et al., 1992; Milli, 1992, 1994, 1997; Bellotti et al. 1993; Rosa, 1995; Marra & Rosa, 1995; Marra et al., 1998; Alvarez et al., 1996; Karner &
Marra, 1998; Karner & Renne, 1998; Karner et al., 2001). Conato et al. (1980), revisioning the stratigraphy of the Rome urban area and of surrounding zones (essen- tially the Ponte Galeria area), proposed a subdivision of the Pleistocene succession into unformalised lithostrati- graphic units. They were named, from the older to the younger, Monte Mario formation (Lower Pleistocene), Ponte Galeria formation, S.Cosimato formation, Aurelia formation and Vitinia formation, being the last four deposited during the Middle-Upper Pleistocene. More recently Milli (1992, 1997) refined the stratigraphy of this area utilizing a sequence-stratigraphic approach. A hierarchy of depositional sequences (third and fourth order) was recognised in the sedimentary succession of the Roman Basin, and a chronostratigraphic scheme for the Pleistocene to Holocene deposits was proposed. The
age of the unconformities bounding these stratigraphic- depositional units was inferred on the basis of palento- logical and radiometric data; further refinement of the sequence boundaries age was possible through correla- tion with the oxygen isotope record by Shackleton (1995) (Fig. 2).
The two main third order sequences, named Monte Mario Sequence (MMS) and Ponte Galeria Sequence (PGS), respectively, are bounded at the base by type 1 unconformities (sensu Vail et al., 1984 and Van Wagoner et al., 1988) and cover a time interval corresponding to the Early Pleistocene (1.795-0.87 My) and to the Middle-Late Pleistocene/Holocene (0.87 My to present), respectively.
Most of the preserved mammal fauna occur in the PGS (this unit varies in thickness from 10-15 m to 100-110 m, in the area between Rome and the coast), whose strata consist of a variety of depositional systems ranging from fluvial, fluvio-lacustrine to coastal barrier-lagoonal and transition-shelf; these systems are organised to consti- tute the lowstand (LST), the transgressive (TST) and the highstand system tracts (HST) (Fig. 3). Volcaniclastic deposits belonging to the Albani and Sabatini volcanic complexes are interbedded with these sediments.
The PGS is a composite depositional sequence con- sisting of nine fourth-order depositional sequences named, from the oldest to the youngest, PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5, PG6, PG7, PG8 and PG9, with an approxi- PALOMBO et al.
136 Geologica Romana 37 (2003-2004), 135-143
Fig. 1 - Geological sketch of the Central Italy Tyrrhenian margin.
Legend: 1: Messinian to Holocene sedimentary deposits; 2: Pliocene- Pleistocene lavas and volcaniclastic deposits;
3: Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary deposits; 4:
main buried faults; 5:
strike-slip faults; 6: nor- mal faults; 7: major thrust. The boxed area is the Fig. 4.
Fig. 2 - Stratigraphic scheme showing the correlation among lithostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy and mammal biochronology in the Roman Basin Pleistocene deposits.
mately period of 100,000 years (Fig. 2). In the PGS the first three fourth-order depositional sequences (PG1, PG2 and PG3) stack to form the LST and in particular the prograding lowstand wedge systems tract (PLW).
The subsequent sequences from PG4 to partially PG9 are ascribed to the TST, whereas the HST sediments were deposited during the last 5,000 years concomitant- ly with the HST sedimentation of the PG9 sequence. The nine fourth-order depositional sequences (their thickness varying between 5 m and 80 m) are bounded by sharp erosional surfaces and show an internally parasequence progradation and retrogradation stacking pattern which defines systems tracts (Milli, 1997).
This detailed stratigraphy was reconstructed thanks to spectacular quarry outcrops showing three-dimensional geometry of the sedimentary bodies and the facies chan- ges in the recognised depositional systems.
Instead in the urban area of Rome, the covering of quite all the “historical outcrops” with the new quarters made difficult to study the sedimentary deposits using a sequence-stratigraphy approach. Hundreds of core drillings data, an exhaustive and critical reading of old papers about the urban geology and a review with mod- ern volcanological and geological approach of the few successions still cropping out, are the only way to study this interesting area (see Marra & Rosa, 1995).
Three of the most important historical localities (Sedia del Diavolo, Monte delle Gioie, Saccopastore) where vertebrate and human remains occurred, are localised along the urban track of the Aniene River (Fig.
4). Since the XIX century, the Sedia del Diavolo succes- sion was studied by several Authors (Terrigi, 1881;
Meli, 1881,1882; Ponzi, 1883; Clerici, 1885; Portis, 1896; Blanc, 1938, 1939, 1948, 1955, 1958; Taschini, 1967). Unfortunately the main outcrop consisting in a quarry located in the present Piazza Addis Abeba, near the roman grave, is completely destroyed. Caloi et al.
(1980) proposed a review of the remains of bones found in this succession on the basis of the stratigraphic scheme by Meli (1881, 1882) and Blanc (1938, 1939, 1948, 1955, 1958).
More recently along the Circonvallazione Salaria (Via Mascagni) a succession similar to that cropping out at Sedia del Diavolo has been exposed (Fig. 5) and cores were drilled in this area.
Another succession similar to the previous one, apart from the final pumiceous ash flow deposit, was also described by Clerici (1888), Blanc (1955) and Taschini (1967), on the right side of the Aniene River (Monte delle Gioie; Fig. 4) where these Authors found a rich fauna of vertebrates.
DISCUSSION
The important paleoclimatic variations, which charac- terised the period of time from the Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene (i.e. from early Galerian to mid- dle Aurelian Mammal Age, sensu Gliozzi et al. 1997),
favoured the considerable faunal renewal at a time of significant paleoenvironmental changes. Thus far, five different FUs have been proposed for the mammal fau- nas: Slivia and Isernia (middle Galerian), Fontana Ranuccio (late Galerian), Torre in Pietra (early Aurelian) and Vitinia (middle Aurelian) (Fig. 2). Subsequently, Petronio & Sardella (1999) proposed a new FU (Ponte Galeria), based on faunal assemblages occurring in the beach deposits of the PG2 sequence. The authors regard- ed this new FU as intermediate in taxonomical composi- tion, as well as age and placed it between the Slivia and Isernia FUs. Nevertheless, the hypothesis that Slivia and Ponte Galeria assemblages might belong to the same FU cannot be ruled out due to uncertain identification of some herbivores from Slivia local fauna, as well as lim- ited knowledge of carnivores and micromammals belonging to Ponte Galeria (Palombo, in press).
Late Middle Pleistocene mammal faunas are very common in the Campagna Romana. Along Latium coast, rich assemblages (Torre in Pietra, La Polledrara di Cecanibbio, Collina Barbattini, Castel di Guido, Malagrotta) have been recovered from fossiliferous lev- els belonging to the Aurelia formation (Conato et al., 1980) or PG6 sequence (Milli, 1997). In the same area the mammal assemblages, very rich in fallow deer remains, have been uncovered in fossiliferous levels of the Vitinia formation (Conato et al., 1980) or PG7 sequence (Milli, 1997) at Torre in Pietra (upper levels), Vitinia (level e, Caloi et al., 1981), and Cerveteri (Palombo et al., 2002) localities. The appearance of a Cervus elaphus with features similar to those of extant European red deer and the abundance of a primitive fal- low deer, Dama dama “tiberina”, locally associated with the pre-existing larger Dama clactoniana, charac- terise the faunal assemblages recognised in the Aurelia and Vitinia formations which were ascibed to two FUs:
Torre in Pietra and Vitinia FUs respectively (Caloi &
Palombo,1994; Caloi et al., 1998). In the urban area of Rome the faunal assemblages of Sedia del Diavolo and Monte delle Gioie were referred to the Vitinia FU because of the abundance of Dama dama “tiberina”
remains (Caloi & Palombo, 1994). Later on, Caloi et al.
(1998) comparing the stratigraphic succession of Sedia del Diavolo with that cropping out at Vitinia-Quartaccio locality inferred that two different cycles (c and d in Fig.
5) separated by an erosional surface would have been present above the “Tufo lionato” (a lithified pyroclastic flow deposit from Albani Volcanic Complex, dated 355 kyr by Karner et al. (2001). Consequently, the Authors correlated the first cycle (c) with the Aurelian formation (OIS 9) and the second one (d), where Dama dama
“tiberina” remains occurred, with the Vitinia formation (OIS 7).
More recently, Marra & Rosa (1995) recognised, along an outcrop near Sedia del Diavolo and Monte delle Gioie (Circonvallazione Salaria escarpement, Via Ma- scagni), on the top of the deposits previously correlated with OIS 7, a 3 m thick white pumiceous ash flow deposit (level 8 of Fig. 5) erupted from the Sabatini PALOMBO et al.
138 Geologica Romana 37 (2003-2004), 135-143
Fig. 3 - High-resolution stratigraphic cross-section of the third order Ponte Galeria sequence between Rome and the Latium coastline (modified from Milli, 1997).
Volcanic District. The 40Ar/39Ar age of this deposit (285
± 1 kyr), recently recalculated by Karner et al. (2001), is consistent with the K-Ar age of about 288 kyr reported in Fornaseri (1985) for the “Tufo Giallo di Sacrofano”.
The level 8 should be a distal pyroclastic flow deposit coming from the same eruptive unit known as “Tufo Giallo di Sacrofano” (Mattias & Ventriglia,1970) or
“Sacrofano upper pyroclastic flow unit” (De Rita et al., 1993). Following this new chronological data, the depo- sition of the fluvio-lacustrine sediments overlying the
“Tufo lionato” at Sedia del Diavolo approximately occurred during the time span between 355 and 285 kyr.
As such these deposits can be considered coeval of the Aurelia formation or to the PG6 sequence being the ero-
sive surface recognised by Caloi et al. (1998) not an expression by an unconformity surface, but a local dis- continuity surface essentially connected to the auto- cyclic process acting in the fluvio-lacustrine deposition- al system.
CONCLUSION
The re-examination of some historical outcrops of Middle Pleistocene deposits in the urban area of Rome (Sedia del Diavolo and Monte delle Gioie), enabled us a new stratigraphic interpretation thanks to a new better calibration of their radiometric age. These new data high- lighted that these deposits can be correlated to the Aurelia PALOMBO et al.
140 Geologica Romana 37 (2003-2004), 135-143
Fig. 4 - a) Geological sketch map of the Aniene valley in the urban track of Rome with localities of the main middle-upper Pleistocene outcrops;
topographic map date back to 1924 (from: Piano topografico di Roma e suburbio, IGM, 1924). At the present this area is completely urbanized. 1.
Monte delle Gioie grotto; 2. Sedia del Diavolo quarry; 3. Saccopastore quarry; 4. Circonvallazione Salaria (Via Mascagni). b) Geological section through the Aniene Valley.
formation or to the PG6 sequence, and were deposited in a time span between 355 and 285 kyr. Accordingly, the lowest occurrence in Italy of Dama dama” tiberina”, whose fossil remains occur in these deposits, can be referred to this span of time and correlated to the OIS 9.
Taking into account that faunal complexes ascribed to Torre in Pietra and Vitinia FUs are not very different one another both from taxonomical as well as structural point of view (Palombo & Mussi, 2001; Palombo, in press), the Vitinia Faunal units cannot be considered as a valid biochron because of the basically ecological and taxo- nomic similarity between the local faunas previously cor- related with the OIS 9 and 7 respectively. Consequently, in the lack of middle sized cervid or in the case of isolat- ed remains it will be enough difficult to individuate which FU the mammal remains belong to, even if the stratigraphic data don’t clarify their occurrence in deposits of the Aurelia or Vitinia formations.
Concluding it is evident that the whole faunal assem-
blages of the Campagna Romana, occurred in the deposits of the Aurelia formation (fossiliferous sites of Torre in Pietra, Polledrara di Cecanibbio, Castel di Guido, Malagrotta, Sedia del Diavolo, Monte delle Gioie) and the Vitinia formation (fossiliferous sites of Quartaccio-Vitinia and Torre in Pietra) respectively, must to be ascribed to the Torre in Pietra FU. This last one in its new acception, is characterized by the first appearance of Canis lupus, Ursus spelaeus, Megaloceros giganteus, Dama dama “tiberina”. The typical association is repre- sented by Elephas antiquus + Bos primigenius + cervids, besides Equus ferus, Hippopotamus amphibius and one or two species belonging to the genus Stephanorhinus as well as medium sized or large canivores, such as Panthera leo spelaea (see Palombo, in press). The occur- rence of E. hydruntinus and Mammuthus ex gr. “M.
chosaricus - M. primigenius” might be related to immi- gration phases that took place during the climate cooling correlated with the isotope stages 8 and 6 respectively.
Fig. 5 - Comparison between the succession cropping out in the quarry of Sedia del Diavolo (section derived from Taschini, 1967) and the Circonvallazione Salaria outcrop (via Mascagni). On this last outcrop were visible until few years ago, from bottom to the top: (1) fluvial gravels with red scoriae, reached only by core drillings S; (2) 10 -15 m thick lithified pyroclastic flow deposit (Tufo lionato); (3) 1 m thick pale yellow epi- clastic fluvial deposit; (4) 4 m thick lacustrine white-gray silts; (5) 5 m thick epiclastic fluvial sands; (6) 1.5 m thick fluvial sandy-gravels rich in red scoriae, Tufo lionato fragments and mammal fauna remains; (7) lacustrine yellow silty sands (1.80 m thick) with travertine and muds and tuffitic levels. The whole succession is covered by a 3 m thick white pumiceous ash flow deposit (8) erupted from the Sabatini Volcanic District. The top of the section is about 45 m a.s.l.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - The Authors thank O. Girotti and T. Kotsakis for the critical revision of the manuscript and M. Albano for the drawing of some figures. This research was
supported by MIUR and CNR, Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Rome.
PALOMBO et al.
142 Geologica Romana 37 (2003-2004), 135-143
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Accettato per la stampa: Marzo 2003
