Stratigraphic paleoecology of the Valle di Manche section (Crotone Basin, Italy): A candidate GSSP of the Middle Pleistocene

Macro-benthic assemblages fromthe Lower to Middle Pleistocene of the Valle diManche (VdM)section (Crotone Basin, Southern Italy) were used to assess the value of merging paleoecological quantitative patterns into a sequence stratigraphic framework. Two-way cluster and detrended correspondence (DCA) analyses were applied to the macrofossil data matrix comprising 22 samples, 157 species and 5761 specimens. Specifically, two-way cluster analysis allowed for the characterization of five shelf-related biofacies and four sub-biofacies along section. Biofacies change along the VdM generally supported previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations and suggests that faunal turnover is the result of habitat tracking. DCA stratigraphic curves (=DC1 sample scores), calibrated to the depth preferences of extant species, provided quantitative estimates of bathymetry and the assessment of related parameters (e.g., grain-size, sedimentation/turbidity).When plotted stratigraphically, calibrated DC1 scores highlight the magnitude of relative sea-level fluctuations at the scale of the section as well as individual sequences and systems tracts. Additionally, DCA-derived paleobathymetric trends track the oscillations of the δ18O record, indicative of global sea-level change. Based on this comparison, it is held that macro-benthic assemblages, once supported by a robust statistical interpretation, can be employed successfully as a proxy for δ18O, depicting the variability in local water depths. The potential of this approach is especially high for studies in shallow-water depositional settings where dependable δ18O data are typically difficult to obtain.