RT Journal Article
T1 The Eocene carbonate platform of the central-western Malaguides (Internal  Betic Zone, S Spain) and its meaning for the Cenozoic paleogeography of  the westermost Tethys
A1 Tosquella Angrill, Josep
A1 Martí Martín, Manuel
A1 Guerrera, Francesco
A1 Serrano, Francisco
A1 Tramontana, Mario
AB The Eocene Peñicas (Almería) and Harania (Málaga) stratigraphic sections from the Malaguide Complex (Betic Cordillera, South Spain) belonging to the Mesomediterranean Microplate from the westernmost Tethys (about-30° N and 0°–5°W according to the Eocene coordinates) have been studied. The Eocene sections cover the Cuisian to middle Lutetian deposits, which show several lithofacies representing shallow marine platform realms. Based on the fossiliferous assemblage, texture and fabrics, eight microfacies related to inner to outer ramp settings were defined. In the inner ramp of the Harania section abundant colonial corals have been recognized. The Eocene deposits are arranged into a transgressive succession composed by three minor transgressive-regressive sedimentary cycles. The Eocene fossiliferous assemblage shows a mixture of photozoan (Larger Bentic Foraminifera –LBF–, green and red calcareous algae and corals) and heterotrophic (mollusks, echinoids, bryozoans, small benthic and planktic foraminifers) elements, suggesting euphotic to mesophotic conditions in oligo-mesotrophic marine warm-waters at low-middle latitudes. This assemblage indicates a transition from photozoan to heterozoan carbonates and in particular a shift towards outer marine ramp settings. During the Early Eocene, the widespread distribution of LBF leads in the Tethyan domains to disappearance or extreme reduction of coral constructions. Nevertheless, abundant corals associated to inner ramp realms have been observed in the Harania stratigraphic section indicating that corals could continue to develop in the westernmost Tethys at the transition to the Atlantic Ocean, in contrast with respect to other Tethyan sectors. Therefore, the Ypresian-Lutetian time-span is a transitional period for the global temperature during which corals locally survived only where optimal ecologic conditions occurred, preferably in marginal contexts, as it seems to have happened in the studied area.
PB Elsevier
SN 1872-616X (electrónico)
SN 0031-0182
YR 2022
FD 2022
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27475
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27475
LA eng
NO Tosquella, J., Martín-Martín, M., Guerrera, F., Serrano, F., & Tramontana, M. (2022). The Eocene carbonate platform of the central-western Malaguides (Internal Betic Zone, S Spain) and its meaning for the Cenozoic paleogeography of the westermost Tethys. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 589, 110840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.110840
NO Research supported by: Research Project PID2020-114381GB-I00, Spanish Ministry of Education and Science; Research Groups and Projects of the Generalitat Valenciana, Alicante University (CTMA-IGA). Grants from University of Urbino to F. Guerrera. We also thank Prof. Agustín Martín-Algarra and an anonymous reviewer for the very useful revision fournished.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026