The Middle Miocene mammalian site of Belometchetskaya, North Caucasus: An important biostratigraphic link between Europe and China

The Middle Miocene fauna from Belometchetskaya, North Caucasus, provides an important biostratigraphic link that permits refinement of correlations be tween the European land mammal zones (MN zones) and the faunal ages of Chin a. This study concentrates on a review of the mammalian fauna from Belometc hetskaya because a certain degree of confusion has entered the literature r egarding its correlation to the MN sequence (it has been variously correlat ed to MN 4, MN 5 or MN 6) as well as its position within the Miocene (Early Miocene or Middle Miocene). It is concluded that the faunal elements hithe rto considered to be of Oligocene age are in fact typical of the Middle Mio cene and that the best correlation of the fauna to the European sequence is to MN 6. This means that Belometchetskaya is close in age to Sansan (Franc e), Pasalar and Candir (Turkey), Koujiacun (China), Chinji (Pakistan) and F ort Ternan (Kenya).