Summary and Conclusions of the Senèze Research Project
摘要
The new fieldwork at Senèze ran from 2000 to 2006, with the goals of clarifying the age, stratigraphy and taphonomyTaphonomy of Senèze, as well as finding additional remains, especially of the less well-known taxa. Here we summarize the findings of each chapter and discuss their broader implications. Four geological chapters consider field methods, stratigraphy, volcanology and tephra mineralogyMineralogy and dating. Following a chapter on palynology, two chapters discuss non-mammalian paleontology: ichthyology and ornithology. Eight chapters cover work on the fossil mammals. The chapter on biochronologyBiochronology places Senèze among other sites at the start of MNQ 18. Based on that work and the mammal chapters, it is possible to review the relative frequency of mammalian families in the total Senèze assemblage. Of some 2200 specimens, over half are cervids, with bovids, rhinocerotids and equids far behind. According to data from palynology and the habitat preferences of the more common mammals, the paleoenvironmentPaleoenvironment around the Senèze maarMaar would have included forestForest forms, woodland and grassland, perhaps in a warmer and moister climate than today. Taphonomic studies revealed that bones often rested a long time under water, lacked any indication of carnivore attack and often displayed pathologies in their joints. Combining these results and those from stratigraphy, it is proposed that most associated skeletons were preserved after large mammals fell into the lake and drowned without being disturbed.