Vörös A. szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 12. 1985. (Budapest, 1985)

FRAGMENTA MINERALOGICA et PALAEONTOLOGICA 12. 1985 p. 43-49 Archidiskodon gromovi Alekseeva & Garrutt, 1965 from the Upper Pliocene gravel of Aszód (Hungary) By I. VÖRÖS (Received November 30, 1984) Abstract: The elephant molars known from Aszód and identified earlier as the remains of archaic Arch, meridionalis during recent investigations proved to be the remains of Archidiskodon gromovi which is the oldest form of the Archidiskodon line. Arch, gromovi appeared in the Carpathian Basin only in the Upper Pliocene. The small town of Aszód lies east of Budapest, at the southern end of the Galga valley between the Gödöllő hills and the Cserhát Mountains, at the southern foot of the low (200-300 m above sea-level) Cserhát Mts, and at the same time at the northern margin of the Great Hungarian Plain. It lies at a distance of 21 km from the Danube. The summary and evaluation of the geological formations and the fossils of Aszód and its vicinity are marked by the names of SCHLESINGER (1922) and of SZENTES (1943). A short history of research on Proboscidea remains The first Proboscidea remains which had come to light from Aszód were announced by J. KRENNER in the Scientific Meetings of the Hungarian Geological Society (Magyarhoni Földtani Társulat) held in 28 May, 1873 (Társulati Ügyek 1874): "from 4 1/2 fathoms' depth the last molars of both side of a mandible and a fragment of a tusk of a Mastodon" [came to lightj. The Elephas remains were first published by T. FUCHS who also dealt with the stratigraphical situation of Proboscidea remains: in a yellow or brown quartzite gravel sediment a great number Elephant molars were found which are in the National Museum and they belong to a real, typical E. meridionalis" (FUCHS 1879). FUCHS wrote that according to the information provided by Prof. J. KRENNER, on one occassion during well-digging the gravel layer was cut through and Mastodon arvernensis Croiz. & Job. teeth were found in the "blue marl" below it. These teeth are like the teeth of M. arvernensis from Ajnácskő. In his paper entitled "The Age of the Gravels in the Vicinity of Budapest", HALAVÁTS (1898) dealt with the Proboscidea finds from Aszód. He repeated earlier data as regards M. arvernensis finds, but gave new important data on the E

. meridionalis remains: from the gravel layer at a depth of 6-8 m from a well dug in the railway station an E. meridionalis tooth was collected by T. SZONTÁGH in 1873. This tooth has been acquired by the Hungarian Royal Geological Institute (HALAVÁTS 1898). In the course of the chronostratigraphical determination of the Proboscidea remains, this observation can used as an indirect argument. The tooth in question is a M

3 sin., inv.