Early Aquitanian mammal fauna in the La Roche-Blanche-Gergovie locality (Puy-de-Dome, France), and the evidence of post-Oligocene rift activity in 'Limagne de Clermont'

Recently discovered mammal-bearing layers near La Roche-Blanche-Gergovie: C lermont-Ferrand basin (France) make it possible to attribute an Early Mioce ne age (Aquitanian, MN1) to the upper part of: these series, hitherto consi dered as Late Oligocene. Palaeoenvironmental inferences are drawn from the micro-mammal fauna, from a complete and connected posterior leg of Mesacera therium pauliacense as well as from ostracod community-bearing beds. Up-dat ing of the mammal faunas from old mammal localities in the Clermont basin a nd recently discovered ones point out, for the first time, a narrow subside nt channel, near the Western Limagne main fault: testifying that the rift a ctivity continued during Aquitanian limes. ((C) Academie des sciences / Els evier. Paris.).