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The Sobrarbe-Pirineos UNESCO Global Geopark, located in the Central Pyrenees, is a region of remarkable geodiversity that includes extensive Eocene fossil-bearing sites and constitutes an important archive of paleobiodiversity. The Sobrarbe-Pirineos Geopark hosts outcrops of Eocene formations bearing an unusual abundance and diversity of fossils from marine and continental sedimentary environments, making the Sobrarbe-Pirineos Geopark a perfect window for learning about tropical ecosystems of the Eocene of southern Europe. These environments were in part tectonically controlled and offer a unique opportunity to understand how faunas changed in an active area. Here, we outline the main groups of fossils from the Sobrarbe-Pirineos Geopark, including popular examples such as the “Crocodile of Ordesa-Vio” and the sirenian Sobrarbesiren. The Geopark has been a major tool in the geoconservation of Eocene fossils.

A systematic description of the Eocene larger foraminifera recorded in the South Pyrenean Basin (Sierras Exteriores) is presented herein. The large dataset provided in this work includes Nummulites and Alveolina species, along with a variety of other porcellaneous and hyaline taxa with lesser biostratigraphic relevance. Most of the larger foraminifera described in this work correspond to the Lutetian (SBZ13 to SBZ16 biozones) interval, but late Ypresian (SBZ11, Cuisian) and early Bartonian (SBZ17) shallow benthic zones have also been identified. A new species, Idalinaosquetaensis, is described. The systematic revision of middle to late Lutetian alveolines led to a reassessment of Alveolinafusiformis and the finding of two new precursor forms, described as Alveolina aff. fragilis and Alveolina aff. elongata. The new taxa fill in the gap existing so far in the middle to late Lutetian alveolinid biostratigraphy. Despite not being exclusive to SBZ16, these forms provide realiable biostratigraphic information in facies where Nummulites are not present. This realibility lies on the correlation of Nummulitesand Alveolina biostratigraphic markers in the same sections and their calibration to the global time scale through magnetostratigraphy. Magnetostratigraphic calibration of described taxa is provided, along with an update of the SBZ calibration to the Geological Time Scale (Gradstein et al., 2012).

A systematic description of the Eocene larger foraminifera recorded in the South Pyrenean Basin (Sierras Exteriores) is presented herein. The large dataset provided in this work includes Nummulites and Alveolina species, along with a variety of other porcellaneous and hyaline taxa with lesser biostratigraphic relevance. Most of the larger foraminifera described in this work correspond to the Lutetian (SBZ13 to SBZ16 biozones) interval, but late Ypresian (SBZ11, Cuisian) and early Bartonian (SBZ17) shallow benthic zones have also been identified. A new species, Idalinaosquetaensis, is described. The systematic revision of middle to late Lutetian alveolines led to a reassessment of Alveolinafusiformis and the finding of two new precursor forms, described as Alveolina aff. fragilis and Alveolina aff. elongata. The new taxa fill in the gap existing so far in the middle to late Lutetian alveolinid biostratigraphy. Despite not being exclusive to SBZ16, these forms provide realiable biostratigraphic information in facies where Nummulites are not present. This realibility lies on the correlation of Nummulitesand Alveolina biostratigraphic markers in the same sections and their calibration to the global time scale through magnetostratigraphy. Magnetostratigraphic calibration of described taxa is provided, along with an update of the SBZ calibration to the Geological Time Scale (Gradstein et al., 2012).