Pliocene vertebrate locality of Çalta, Ankara, Turkey. 11. Isotopic investigation

Carbon and oxygen stable isotopic abundances of fossil mammals can provide valuable palaeoenvironmental information, provided that diagenesis did not alter the biogenic signal beyond recognition. An isotopic investigation of mammal bones and teeth from Çalta (Pliocene, Turkey) demonstrates that enamel can be used for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, but that a diagenetic signal has been overprinted on dentine and bone. By comparison with the results of similar studies on the Miocene Turkish sites of Pasalar and Kemiklitepe, it appears that the environment of Çalta was open and probably steppic, a conclusion in agreement with the study of rodent faunas.