RT Journal Article
T1 A palaeoecological interpretation of the lower–middle Pleistocene Cal Guardiola site (Terrassa, Barcelona, NE Spain) from the comparative study of wood and pollen samples
A1 Postigo Mijarra, José
A1 Burjachs, Francisco
A1 Gómez Manzaneque, Fernando
A1 Morla, Carlos
A2 Elsevier, 
AB The Cal Guardiola site, discovered during the construction of an office building in the centre of Terrassa (Province of Barcelona, NE Spain), is home to one of the richest deposits of lower–middle Pleistocene flora in the Iberian Peninsula. The site contains a large quantity of plant macroremains, including non-carbonised wood, in an exceptional state of preservation. In this work, 100 wood fragments were analysed along with 25 pollen samples and 2 coprolites, all from the same horizon. These remains revealed the presence of a mixed deciduous forest with significant numbers of Quercus (Quercetum mixtum). Thermophilous, meso-hygrothermophilous and river forest species were also present, including some taxa rarely recorded for the Pleistocene, e.g., the mesocratic group of species represented by Juglans, Carya and Platanus. Fossil wood of Aesculus was also identified; this is the first Pleistocene reference of this species in Iberia. In this open Mediterranean forest, several remarkable gymnosperms were present. For example, Pinus haploxylon-type pollen was identified, demonstrating the survival of this group of conifers during the lower Pleistocene in the Iberian Peninsula. Pollen of Taxodiaceae was also found — the first reference of this family for the Iberian Pleistocene-showing these taxa survived on the Peninsula until the lower–middle Pleistocene transition. Warm-temperate and humid conditions prevailed during this interval; clear indications of an interstadial episode were observed.
PB Elsevier
SN 0034-6667
YR 2007
FD 2007
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/96160
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/96160
LA eng
NO Postigo-Mijarra, J.Mª, Burjachs, F., Gómez-Manzaneque, F., Morla, C., 2007. A palaeoecological interpretation of the lower–middle Pleistocene Cal Guardiola site (Terrassa, Barcelona, NE Spain) from the comparative study of wood and pollen samples. Rev. Palaeobot.Palynol. 146 (1-4): 247-264
NO AcknowledgementsThis paper is dedicated to the memory of our friend and colleague Javier Maldonado, who passed away in August 2004. This work was possible thanks to the Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Ajuntament de Terrassa, Mútua de Terrassa, and the Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya. Thanks are owed to Rafael Mora and Salvador Moyà for their continuous assistance. This work was performed as part of the research project PALEODIVERSITAS I Projet (Plan Nacional I + D, CGL 2006-02956-BOS).
NO Generalitat de Catalunya
NO Ajuntament de Terrassa
NO Mútua de Terrassa
NO Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya
DS Docta Complutense
RD 22 abr 2025