Mammal Paleogene zones


The Mammal Paleogene zones or MP zones are a system of biostratigraphic biozones in the stratigraphic record used to correlate mammal-bearing fossil localities of the Paleogene period of Europe. It consists of thirty consecutive zones defined through reference faunas, well-known sites that other localities can be correlated with. MP 1 is the earliest zone, and MP 30 is the most recent. The Grande Coupure extinction and faunal turnover event marks the boundary between MP 20 and MP 21, the post-Grande Coupure faunas occurring by MP 21 onward. The MP zones are complementary with the MN zones in the Neogene.
These zones were proposed at the Congress in Mainz held in 1987 to help paleontologists provide more specific reference points to evolutionary events in Europe, but are used by paleontologists on other continents as well.
The zones are as follows:
IntervalStartEndICS stages
MP 3023.2 Ma23.03 ± 0.05 MaChattian
MP 2923.9 Ma23.2 MaChattian
MP 2824.6 ± 0.1 Ma23.9 MaChattian
MP 2725.4 Ma24.6 ± 0.1 MaChattian
MP 2627.3 Ma25.4 MaChattian
MP 2528.8 Ma27.3 MaChattian – Rupelian
MP 2430.0 Ma28.8 MaRupelian
MP 2330.9 ± 0.1 Ma30.0 MaRupelian
MP 2232.5 Ma30.9 ± 0.1 MaRupelian
MP 2133.9 ± 0.05 Ma32.5 MaRupelian
MP 2034.0 Ma33.9 ± 0.05 MaPriabonian
MP 1935.0 Ma34.0 MaPriabonian
MP 1837.0 Ma35.0 MaPriabonian
MP 17B37.5 Ma37.0 MaPriabonian
MP 17A37.8 Ma37.5 MaPriabonian
MP 1640.0 Ma37.8 MaBartonian
MP 1541.2 Ma40.0 MaLutetian
MP 1443.5 Ma41.2 MaLutetian
MP 1344.9 Ma43.5 MaLutetian
MP 1246.3 Ma44.9 MaLutetian
MP 1147.8 Ma46.3 MaLutetian
MP 1050.8 Ma47.8 MaYpresian
MP 8 + 955.2 Ma50.8 MaYpresian
MP 756.0 Ma55.2 MaYpresian
MP 657.2 Ma56.0 MaThanetian
MP 557.2 MaThanetian
MP 4Paleocene series
MP 3Paleocene series
MP 2Paleocene series
MP 166.043 ± 0.011 Ma61.7 ± 0.05 MaDanian