Magnetostratigraphic studies of Pliocene-Pleistocene continental deposits on the Plateau de Perrier and in the Le Puy-en-Velay basin, as well as in the Riez-Valensole basin, provide decisive reference dating of several well-known fossil-bearing
Villafranchian sites. The AA. make a reliable correlation between the volcanic and sedimentary units of the Plateau de Perrier and the old lake Puimoisson. This result establishes the first objective correlation between the large mammal faunas found in the Massif