[Rockhounds] Balkanatolia, mammal evolution, and the Grande Coupure

[Paul]

Balkanatolia: the forgotten continent that sheds light on
the evolution of mammals, CNRS News, February 22, 2022
https://www.cnrs.fr/en/balkanatolia-forgotten-continent-sheds-light-evolution-mammals

Scientists find continent Balkanatolia that may explain
evolution of mammals. UPI, February 22, 2022
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2022/02/22/europe-balkans-balknatolia-forgotten-continent/6921645552066/

Scientists Discover the Long-Lost Continent ‘Balkanatolia’
The landmass existed 40 million years ago and may have
facilitated the migration of Asian mammals into Europe.
Becky Ferreira, Vice, February 23, 2022
https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5q8zm/scientists-discover-the-long-lost-continent-balkanatolia?utm_source=reddit.com

The paper is:

Licht, A., Métais, G., Coster, P., Ibilioğlu, D., Ocakoğlu,
F., Westerweel, J., Mueller, M., Campbell, C., Mattingly,
S., Wood, M.C. and Beard, K.C., 2022. Balkanatolia: The
insular mammalian biogeographic province that partly paved
the way to the Grande Coupure. Earth-Science Reviews, no.103929.

 From abstract:

“The Grande Coupure corresponds to a major episode of
faunal turnover in western Europe around the Eocene-
Oligocene boundary that is generally attributed to the influx
of multiple clades of Asian mammals.

Eocene–Oligocene extinction event
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eocene–Oligocene_extinction_event

“The Grande Coupure, or "great break" in continuity, with
a major European turnover in mammalian fauna about 33.5 Ma.

Yours,

Paul H.