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Book reÕiewsrEarth-Science ReÕiews 44 1998 185–192 187
Miocene Stratigraphy
Miocene Stratigraphy. An Integrated Approach,by
A. Montanari, G.S. Odin and R. Coccioni.
Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigra-
phy, vol. 15. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, 1997. Hardcover, XVIIq694 pp.,
Dfl 395.- ISBN 0-444-82498-7
‘Miocene stratigraphy. An integrated approach’ is
the title of the 15th volume in Elsevier’s series
Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy.
The publication of this volume is a timely one since
the integrated stratigraphic framework of the Pliocene
and Pleistocene has now been well established and
dated. As a consequence, research interest has shifted
back in time to tackle uncertainties existing in
Miocene stratigraphy and geochronology; uncertain-
ties that so strongly hamper our understanding of this
intriguing interval of time.
The volume is the final outcome of the Miocene
Ž.
Columbus Project MICOP which was promoted
under the aegis of the Subcommission on
Geochronology of the International Commission on
Stratigraphy, and organised by the editors of the
present volume, Alessandro Montanari, Gilles Serge
Odin and Rodolfo Coccioni. MICOP was a logical
and valid continuation of studies previously carried
out on older, Cretaceous to Paleogene pelagic se-
quences of the Apennines. The initial main focus of
the project was on the radiometric dating of the
many newly discovered volcanic ash layers in bios-
tratigraphically well defined Miocene pelagic se-
quences in the northern Apennines. But due to its
success, the scope of the project has widened consid-
erably with the embrace of a more integrated strati-
graphic approach and a geographic extension of the
study area.
Although the title may suggest otherwise, the
papers exclusively deal with marine land-based sec-
tions which are mainly located in two study areas,
the northern Apennines in Italy and, to a lesser
extend, central Japan. The geographic focus and
exclusion of deep sea cores are understandable in
view of the history of the MICOP project and the
fact that both areas are famous for their open marine
sequences with frequently interbedded ash layers that
are so suitable for the integrated stratigraphic ap-
proach as intended by the project.
The volume itself is well got-up and illustrated,
and contains some 37 individual papers. It is well
organised and the english is remarkably acceptable,
clearly reflecting considerable editorial effort. At the
same time, this effort is partly responsible for the
two-year delay in publication of the volume. As a
consequence, the references are not always up-to-date
which is unfortunate in such a rapidly developing
field as Miocene integrated stratigraphy. In addition,
Ž.
the lack of an english version of the abstract at the
beginning of each contribution does not increase the
readability— a french version is included at the end.
Following foreword and preface, contributions are
neatly and logically arranged in six chapters, more
than half of which start with an introduction by the
editors. The first chapter contains relevant and infor-
Ž.
mative review papers on the state-of-the-art knowl-
edge of the historical stratotype sections of global
Miocene stages, which were originally defined in
northern Italy and southern France. The papers ac-
centuate the importance of applying modern strati-
graphic techniques such as strontium isotope stratig-
raphy and quantitative nannofossil biostratigraphy in
the analysis of historical stratotypes. The chapter
further contains the formal proposal for the Global
Ž.
Stratotype Section and Point GSSP for the base of
the Neogene.
The second chapter contains introductory papers
to the geology of the two main study areas, the
northern Apennines in Italy and central Japan; they
focus especially on the tectonic setting and paleo-
geography. The next three chapters actually contain
most of the rich data set presented in the volume
with original contributions relevant to the Lower,
Middle and Upper Miocene subseries, respectively.
The last chapter contains two synthetic papers. The
first paper deals with a detailed interlaboratory com-
parison of methods, techniques and results of radio-
metric dating from the different isotope laboratories
involved in the project. The second concluding paper
summarises how the wealth of new data presented in
chapters 3 to 5 are related to the definition of the
Stages. Indeed an important aspect of the rich data
set is its potential contribution to the geochronology
and formal definition of Miocene stages, among
others, through the selection of candidate sections for
the GSSP’s. This aspect is extensively dealt with by
the editors in their final concluding contribution and