A window into the Pliocene Record of South Caucasus: fossil vertebrate fauna: paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions

The present article collection unites contributions dedicated to the study of the fossil record of a newly discovered site, Jradzor in Armenia. The sedimentary succession reflects a depositional history of volcanogenic origin, which has been dated as the second half of the Pliocene Epoch (4.3-3.1 Ma). During the catastrophic volcanic eruptions, the entire vertebrate fauna has found a dramatic death being trapped in hot pyroclastic density currents. The fossil record found in volcaniclastic and other sedimentary rocks is represented by different vertebrate groups including fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and both large and small mammals. Further, a diatom flora from the lacustrine base of the section and vegetation based on phytolith record from the covering volcaniclastic and catena deposits will be studied. The Jradzor site provides a unique and, so far, missing Pliocene record for the South Caucasus – a region at the crossroads of three continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe. The site will enable understanding of palaeobiogeographic relationships at small- (regions) and large-scale (continents).