earth science

MN 4 (biostratigraphy)

MN 4 (biostratigraphy) is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MN 4 (biostratigraphy) rather than just read about it. In short: In biostratigraphy, MN 4 is one of the MN zones used to characterize the fossil mammal faunas of the Neogene of Europe. It is preceded by MN 3 and followed by MN 5; together, these three zones form the Orleanian age of the middle Miocene.

Key takeaways

MN 4 (biostratigraphy) belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MN 4 (biostratigraphy) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MN 4 (biostratigraphy) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In biostratigraphy, MN 4 is one of the MN zones used to characterize the fossil mammal faunas of the Neogene of Europe. It is preceded by MN 3 and followed by MN 5; together, these three zones form the Orleanian age of the middle Miocene. This zone starts within magnetostratigraphic chron C5Dr, at 18 million years ago, and ends within chron C5Cr, at 17.0 million years ago, although some different correlations have been proposed. The reference locality used to correlate faunas with this zone is La Romieu (southwestern France); other localities include Artesilla and Buñol in Spain, Tägernaustrasse-Jona in Switzerland, Erkertshofen 2 and Petersbuch 2 in Germany, Belchatov C in Poland, and Aliveri in Greece. In this zone, the common muroid rodent Democricetodon immigrates into Europe from Asia, followed shortly after by three other muroids: Megacricetodon, Eumyarion, and Anomalomys. Cricetodon, which later also reaches western Europe, is only present in Greece in MN 4 in Europe. The archaic muroid Melissiodon last appears in MN 4, as does Ligerimys, a member of the extinct rodent family Eomyidae. The dormouse Glirulus, which occurs in older deposits in Turkey, first appears in Europe; this genus contains a single living species, the Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus). The proboscidean genera—members of the group that includes the elephants—Archaeobelodon and Prodeinotherium first appear in Europe. The rhinoceros Diaceratherium last appears in MN 4 and five other rhinoceros genera, Plesiaceratherium, Brachypotherium, Lartetotherium, Gaindatherium, and Hispanotherium, make their first appearance. Phyllotillon, a member of the related extinct family Chalicotheriidae, migrates into Europe during MN 4. Several artiodactyls, such as the pig Bunolistriodon, the tragulid Dorcatherium, the deer-like Lagomeryx, the bovid-like Amphimoschus, and the first true bovid of Europe, Eotragus, first occur during MN 4. The last occurrence of the primitive ruminant Amphitragulus also falls in this zone. The immigrant African creodont Hyainailouros occurs in Europe during MN 4. Among carnivorans, the first occurrences of the mustelid Leptoplesictis and the saber-toothed Prosansanosmilus fall in MN 4.

References

Literature cited Mein, P. 1999. European Miocene mammal biochronology. Pp. 25–38 in Rössner, G.E. and Heissig, K. (eds.). The Miocene Land Mammals of Europe. Munich: Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, 515 pp. Steininger, F. 1999. Chronostratigraphy, geochronology and biochronology of the Miocene "European Land Mammal Mega-Zones (ELMMZ)" and the Miocene "Mammal Zones (MN-Zones)". Pp. 9–24 in Rössner, G.E. and Heissig, K. (eds.). The Miocene Land Mammals of Europe. Munich: Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, 515 pp.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MN 4 (biostratigraphy)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MN 4 (biostratigraphy) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MN 4 (biostratigraphy) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MN 4 (biostratigraphy) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MN 4 (biostratigraphy)

In research: MN 4 (biostratigraphy) appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MN 4 (biostratigraphy) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MN 4 (biostratigraphy) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biostratigraphy, Miocene, Regional geologic time scales, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MN 4 (biostratigraphy) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MN 4 (biostratigraphy) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MN 4 (biostratigraphy) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MN 4 (biostratigraphy) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MN 4 (biostratigraphy) in simple terms?

Why does MN 4 (biostratigraphy) matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MN 4 (biostratigraphy)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MN 4 (biostratigraphy).