Geocronología de la Terraza Compleja de Arganda en el valle del río Jarama (Madrid, España)

Abstract

The Arganda Complex Terrace (TCA) is located in the low valley of Jarama river (Madrid), and is formed by successive pilling up of alluvial deposits identified as Arganda I, II, III and IV, from bottom to top. In these units important archaeological and paleontological sites of Pleistocene age (Áridos 1 and 2, Valdocarros or HAT) have been discovered, as well as large assemblages of lithic industry of the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. The only chronological available reference for TCA was provided for the evolved state of the micromammals from the sites of Aridos 1 and Valdocarros, located in the lithostratigraphic units of Arganda I and II respectively. In this paper, we suggest the equivalence of the different units of the TCA with the stepped terraces and we state a numerical time-frame obtained by luminiscence dates and amino acid racemization. Arganda I (≈ T+30-32 m) may be correlated to final MIS 11 or beginning of MIS 9, Arganda II (≈T+23-24 m) belongs to start of MIS 7, Arganda III (≈T+18-20 m) may be situated between MIS 7 and MIS 5, and finally Arganda IV begins its deposition in MIS 5 and concludes in MIS 1 to south of Arganda del Rey (Madrid).