Paleogene

Short description: First period of the Cenozoic Era (66–23 million years ago)

Paleogene

66.0 – 23.03 Ma

PreЄ

A map of Earth as it appeared during the Eocene epoch, c. 40 Ma.

Chronology

Paleogene graphical timeline

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-65 --

-60 --

-55 --

-50 --

-45 --

-40 --

-35 --

-30 --

-25 --

Cretaceous

Neogene

Danian

Selandian

Thanetian

Ypresian

Lutetian

Bartonian

Priabonian

Rupelian

Chattian

PETM

First Antarctic permanent ice-sheets[1]

K-Pg mass
extinction

Subdivision of the Paleogene according to the ICS, as of 2021.[2]
Vertical axis scale: millions of years ago

Etymology
Name formality| Formal
Alternate spelling(s)| Palaeogene, Palæogene
Usage information
Celestial body| Earth
Regional usage| Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used| ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit| Period
Stratigraphic unit| System
Time span formality| Formal
Lower boundary definition| Iridium enriched layer associated with a major meteorite impact and subsequent K-Pg extinction event.
Lower boundary GSSP| El Kef Section, El Kef, Tunisia
[ ⚑ ] 36°09′13″N 8°38′55″E﻿ / ﻿36.1537°N 8.6486°E﻿ / 36.1537; 8.6486
GSSP ratified| 1991[3]
Upper boundary definition|

* Base of magnetic polarity chronozone C6Cn.2n.
* Near first appearance of the Planktonic foraminiferan Paragloborotalia kugleri.

Upper boundary GSSP| Lemme-Carrosio Section, Carrosio, Italy
[ ⚑ ] 44°39′32″N 8°50′11″E﻿ / ﻿44.6589°N 8.8364°E﻿ / 44.6589; 8.8364
GSSP ratified| 1996[4]
Atmospheric and climatic data
Mean atmospheric O2 content| c. 26 vol %
(130 % of modern)
Mean atmospheric CO2 content| c. 500 ppm
(2 times pre-industrial)
Mean surface temperature| c. 18 °C
(4 °C above modern)

The Paleogene (IPA: /ˈpeɪli.ədʒiːn, -li.oʊ-, ˈpæli-/ PAY-lee-ə-jeen, -⁠lee-oh-, PAL-ee-; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Neogene Period 23.03 Mya. It is the beginning of the Cenozoic Era of the present Phanerozoic Eon. The earlier term Tertiary Period was used to define the span of time now covered by the Paleogene Period and subsequent Neogene Period; despite no longer being recognized as a formal stratigraphic term, "Tertiary" still sometimes remains in informal use.[5] Paleogene is often abbreviated "Pg" (but the United States Geological Survey uses the abbreviation Template:Sc1 for the Paleogene on the Survey's geologic maps).[6][7]

During the Paleogene, mammals diversified from relatively small, simple forms into a large group of diverse animals in the wake of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that ended the preceding Cretaceous Period.[8]

This period consists of the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs. The end of the Paleocene (56 Mya) was marked by the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, one of the most significant periods of global change during the Cenozoic, which upset oceanic and atmospheric circulation and led to the extinction of numerous deep-sea benthic foraminifera and on land, a major turnover in mammals. The term "Paleogene System" is applied to the rocks deposited during the Paleogene Period.

## Contents

* 1 Climate
* 2 Palaeogeography
* 3 Flora and fauna
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Climate

The global climate of the Palaeogene began with the brief but intense impact winter brought by the Chicxulub impact. This intense impact winter was terminated by an abrupt warming. After temperatures stabilised, the steady cooling and drying of the Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeogene Cool Interval (LKEPCI) that had spanned the last two stages of the Late Cretaceous continued.[9] About 62.2 Ma, the Latest Danian Event, a hyperthermal event, took place.[10][11][12] Around 59 Ma, the LKEPCI was brought to an end by the Thanetian Thermal Event, which ushered in a departure from the relative cool of the Early and Middle Palaeocene and the dawn of an intense supergreenhouse.[9]

From about 56 to 48 Ma, annual air temperatures over land and at mid-latitude averaged about 23–29 °C (± 4.7 °C), which is 5–10 °C higher than most previous estimates.[13][14][15] For comparison, this was 10 to 15 °C higher than the current annual mean temperatures in these areas.[15] At the Palaeocene-Eocene boundary occurred the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM),[16] one of the hottest times of the Phanerozoic eon, during which global mean surface temperatures rose to 31.6.[17] It was followed by the less severe Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2) about 53.69 Ma.[18] Eocene Thermal Maximum 3 (ETM3) occurred about 53 Ma. The Early Eocene Climatic Optimum was brought to an end by the Azolla event about 48.5 Ma, when large amounts of carbon dioxide were sequestered by Azolla. From this point until about 34 Ma, there was a slow cooling trend known as the Middle-Late Eocene Cooling (MLEC).[9] Approximately 41.5 Ma, this cooling was interrupted temporarily by the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO).[19] Then, about 39.4 Ma, a temperature drop called the Late Eocene Cool Event (LECE) is detected in the oxygen isotope record.[9] A breakneck drop in global temperatures and formation of continental glaciers on Antarctica marked the end of the Eocene.[20] This sharp cooling was partly caused by the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current,[21] which significantly lowered oceanic water temperatures.[22]

In the earliest Oligocene occurred the Early Oligocene Glacial Maximum (Oi1), which lasted for about 200 kyr.[23] After Oi1, global mean surface temperature continued to slowly decline over the Early Oligocene.[9] Another major cooling event transpired at the end of the Rupelian; its most likely cause was extreme biological productivity in the Southern Ocean fostered by tectonic reorganisation of ocean currents and an influx of nutrients from Antarctica.[24] In the Late Oligocene, global temperatures began to warm slightly, though they continued to be significantly lower than during the previous epochs of the Palaeogene and polar ice remained.[9]

## Palaeogeography

During the Paleogene, the continents continued to drift closer to their current positions. India was in the process of colliding with Asia, forming the Himalayas. The Atlantic Ocean continued to widen by a few centimeters each year. Africa was moving north to collide with Europe and form the Mediterranean Sea, while South America was moving closer to North America (they would later connect via the Isthmus of Panama). Inland seas retreated from North America early in the period. Australia had also separated from Antarctica and was drifting toward Southeast Asia. The 1.2 Myr cycle of obliquity amplitude modulation governed eustatic sea level changes on shorter timescales, with periods of low amplitude coinciding with intervals of low sea levels and vice versa.[25]

## Flora and fauna

Tropical taxa diversified faster than those at higher latitudes following the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, leading to the development of a significant latitudinal diversity gradient.[26] Mammals began a rapid diversification during this period. After the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which saw the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs, mammals began to evolve from a few small and generalized forms into most of the modern varieties we see today. Some of these mammals evolved into large forms that dominated the land, while others became capable of living in marine, specialized terrestrial, and airborne environments. Those that took to the oceans became modern cetaceans, while those that took to the trees became primates, the group to which humans belong. Birds, extant dinosaurs which were already well established by the end of the Cretaceous, also experienced adaptive radiation as they took over the skies left empty by the now extinct pterosaurs. Some flightless birds such as penguins, ratites, and terror birds also filled niches left by the hesperornithes and other extinct dinosaurs.

Pronounced cooling in the Oligocene led to a massive floral shift, and many extant modern plants arose during this time. Grasses and herbs, such as Artemisia, began to proliferate, at the expense of tropical plants, which began to decline. Conifer forests developed in mountainous areas. This cooling trend continued, with major fluctuation, until the end of the Pleistocene.[27] This evidence for this floral shift is found in the palynological record.[28]

## See also

* Earth:Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary - Geological formation between time periods

## References

1. ↑ Zachos, J. C.; Kump, L. R. (2005). "Carbon cycle feedbacks and the initiation of Antarctic glaciation in the earliest Oligocene". Global and Planetary Change 47 (1): 51–66. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2005.01.001. Bibcode: 2005GPC....47...51Z.
2. ↑ "International Chronostratigraphic Chart". International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://stratigraphy.org/icschart/ChronostratChart2020-01.pdf.
3. ↑ Molina, Eustoquio; Alegret, Laia; Arenillas, Ignacio; José A. Arz; Gallala, Njoud; Hardenbol, Jan; Katharina von Salis; Steurbaut, Etienne et al. (2006). "The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the base of the Danian Stage (Paleocene, Paleogene, "Tertiary", Cenozoic) at El Kef, Tunisia - Original definition and revision". Episodes 29 (4): 263–278. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2006/v29i4/004.
4. ↑ Steininger, Fritz F.; M. P. Aubry; W. A. Berggren; M. Biolzi; A. M. Borsetti; Julie E. Cartlidge; F. Cati; R. Corfield et al. (1997). "The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Neogene". Episodes 20 (1): 23–28. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/1997/v20i1/005. http://www.stratigraphy.org/GSSP/file9.pdf.
5. ↑ "GeoWhen Database – What Happened to the Tertiary?". http://www.stratigraphy.org/bak/geowhen/TQ.html.
6. ↑ Federal Geographic Data Committee. "FGDC Digital Cartographic Standard for Geologic Map Symbolization". United States Geological Survey. https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/fgdc_gds/geolsymstd/fgdc-geolsym-sec32.pdf.
7. ↑ Orndorff, R.C. (20 July 2010). "Divisions of Geologic Time—Major Chronostratigraphic and Geochronologic Units". United States Geological Survey. https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3015/fs2007-3015.pdf.
8. ↑ Meredith, R. W.; Janecka, J. E.; Gatesy, J.; Ryder, O. A.; Fisher, C. A.; Teeling, E. C.; Goodbla, A.; Eizirik, E. et al. (28 October 2011). "Impacts of the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution and KPg Extinction on Mammal Diversification". Science 334 (6055): 521–524. doi:10.1126/science.1211028. PMID 21940861. Bibcode: 2011Sci...334..521M.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Scotese, Christopher Robert; Song, Haijun; Mills, Benjamin J.W.; van der Meer, Douwe G. (April 2021). "Phanerozoic paleotemperatures: The earth's changing climate during the last 540 million years" (in en). Earth-Science Reviews 215: 103503. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103503. Bibcode: 2021ESRv..21503503S. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012825221000027. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
10. ↑ Jehle, Sofie; Bornemann, André; Lägel, Anna Friederike; Deprez, Arne; Speijer, Robert P. (1 July 2019). "Paleoceanographic changes across the Latest Danian Event in the South Atlantic Ocean and planktic foraminiferal response". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 525: 1–13. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.03.024. Bibcode: 2019PPP...525....1J. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003101821830854X#!. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
11. ↑ Jehle, Sofie; Bornemann, André; Deprez, Arne; Speijer, Robert P. (25 November 2015). "The Impact of the Latest Danian Event on Planktic Foraminiferal Faunas at ODP Site 1210 (Shatsky Rise, Pacific Ocean)". PLOS ONE 10 (11): e0141644. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141644. PMID 26606656. Bibcode: 2015PLoSO..1041644J.
12. ↑ Sprong, M.; Youssef, J. A.; Bornemann, André; Schulte, P.; Steurbaut, E.; Stassen, P.; Kouwenhoven, T. J.; Speijer, Robert P. (September 2011). "A multi-proxy record of the Latest Danian Event at Gebel Qreiya, Eastern Desert, Egypt". Journal of Micropalaeontology 30 (2): 167–182. doi:10.1144/0262-821X10-023. Bibcode: 2011JMicP..30..167S. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/34511141.pdf. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
13. ↑ Naafs, B. D. A.; Rohrssen, M.; Inglis, G. N.; Lähteenoja, O.; Feakins, S. J.; Collinson, M. E.; Kennedy, E. M.; Singh, P. K. et al. (2018). "High temperatures in the terrestrial mid-latitudes during the early Palaeogene". Nature Geoscience 11 (10): 766–771. doi:10.1038/s41561-018-0199-0. Bibcode: 2018NatGe..11..766N. https://research-information.bristol.ac.uk/files/159708447/Combined_manuscript_submitted_June_2018.pdf.
14. ↑ University of Bristol (30 July 2018). "Ever-increasing CO2 levels could take us back to the tropical climate of Paleogene period". ScienceDaily.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Ever-increasing CO2 levels could take us back to the tropical climate of Paleogene period". University of Bristol. 2018. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2018/july/co2-levels-paleogene-period.html.
16. ↑ Wing, S. L. (11 November 2005). "Transient Floral Change and Rapid Global Warming at the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary". Science 310 (5750): 993–996. doi:10.1126/science.1116913. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 16284173. Bibcode: 2005Sci...310..993W. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1116913. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
17. ↑ Inglis, Gordon N.; Bragg, Fran; Burls, Natalie J.; Cramwinckel, Margot J.; Evans, David; Foster, Gavin L.; Huber, Matthew; Lunt, Daniel J. et al. (26 October 2020). "Global mean surface temperature and climate sensitivity of the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), and latest Paleocene" (in en). Climate of the Past 16 (5): 1953–1968. doi:10.5194/cp-16-1953-2020. ISSN 1814-9332. Bibcode: 2020CliPa..16.1953I. https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/16/1953/2020/. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
18. ↑ Stap, L.; Lourens, L.J.; Thomas, E.; Sluijs, A.; Bohaty, S.; Zachos, J.C. (1 July 2010). "High-resolution deep-sea carbon and oxygen isotope records of Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 and H2". Geology 38 (7): 607–610. doi:10.1130/G30777.1. Bibcode: 2010Geo....38..607S. https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/38/7/607/130287/High-resolution-deep-sea-carbon-and-oxygen-isotope?redirectedFrom=fulltext.
19. ↑ Bohaty, Steven M.; Zachos, James C. (1 November 2003). "Significant Southern Ocean warming event in the late middle Eocene" (in en). Geology 31 (11): 1017. doi:10.1130/G19800.1. ISSN 0091-7613. Bibcode: 2003Geo....31.1017B. https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/geology/article/31/11/1017-1020/29164. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
20. ↑ Pearson, Paul N.; Foster, Gavin L.; Wade, Bridget S. (13 September 2009). "Atmospheric carbon dioxide through the Eocene–Oligocene climate transition" (in en). Nature 461 (7267): 1110–1113. doi:10.1038/nature08447. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 19749741. Bibcode: 2009Natur.461.1110P. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature08447. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
21. ↑ Sauermilch, Isabel; Whittaker, Joanne M.; Klocker, Andreas; Munday, David R.; Hochmuth, Katharina; Bijl, Peter K.; LaCasce, Joseph H. (9 November 2021). "Gateway-driven weakening of ocean gyres leads to Southern Ocean cooling" (in en). Nature Communications 12 (1): 6465. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26658-1. ISSN 2041-1723. PMID 34753912. Bibcode: 2021NatCo..12.6465S.
22. ↑ Barker, P.F.; Thomas, E. (June 2004). "Origin, signature and palaeoclimatic influence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current" (in en). Earth-Science Reviews 66 (1–2): 143–162. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2003.10.003. Bibcode: 2004ESRv...66..143B. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012825203001272. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
23. ↑ Zachos, James C.; Lohmann, Kyger C.; Walker, James C. G.; Wise, Sherwood W. (March 1993). "Abrupt Climate Change and Transient Climates during the Paleogene: A Marine Perspective" (in en). The Journal of Geology 101 (2): 191–213. doi:10.1086/648216. ISSN 0022-1376. PMID 11537739. Bibcode: 1993JG....101..191Z. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/648216. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
24. ↑ Hochmuth, Katharina; Whittaker, Joanne M.; Sauermilch, Isabel; Klocker, Andreas; Gohl, Karsten; LaCasce, Joseph H. (9 November 2022). "Southern Ocean biogenic blooms freezing-in Oligocene colder climates" (in en). Nature Communications 13 (1): 6785. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-34623-9. ISSN 2041-1723. PMID 36351905. Bibcode: 2022NatCo..13.6785H.
25. ↑ Liu, Yang; Huang, Chunju; Ogg, James G.; Algeo, Thomas J.; Kemp, David B.; Shen, Wenlong (15 September 2019). "Oscillations of global sea-level elevation during the Paleogene correspond to 1.2-Myr amplitude modulation of orbital obliquity cycles". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 522: 65–78. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2019.06.023. Bibcode: 2019E&PSL.522...65L. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X19303620. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
26. ↑ Crame, J. Alistair (March 2020). "Early Cenozoic evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient". Earth-Science Reviews 202: 103090. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103090. Bibcode: 2020ESRv..20203090C.
27. ↑ Traverse, Alfred (1988). Paleopalynology. Unwin Hyman. ISBN 978-0-04-561001-3. OCLC 17674795.
28. ↑ Muller, Jan (January 1981). "Fossil pollen records of extant angiosperms". The Botanical Review 47 (1): 1–142. doi:10.1007/bf02860537. ISSN 0006-8101. Bibcode: 1981BotRv..47....1M.

## External links

* Paleogene Microfossils: 180+ images of Foraminifera
* Paleogene (chronostratigraphy scale)

* v
* t
* e

Geological history of Earth

Cenozoic era
(present–66.0 Mya)|

| Quaternary (present–2.588 Mya)|

* Holocene (present–11.784 kya)
* Pleistocene (11.784 kya–2.588 Mya)

|

Neogene (2.588–23.03 Mya)|

* Pliocene (2.588–5.333 Mya)
* Miocene (5.333–23.03 Mya)

Paleogene (23.03–66.0 Mya)|

* Oligocene (23.03–33.9 Mya)
* Eocene (33.9–56.0 Mya)
* Paleocene (56.0–66.0 Mya)

Mesozoic era
(66.0–251.902 Mya)|

| Cretaceous (66.0–145.0 Mya)|

* Late (66.0–100.5 Mya)
* Early (100.5–145.0 Mya)

|

Jurassic (145.0–201.3 Mya)|

* Late (145.0–163.5 Mya)
* Middle (163.5–174.1 Mya)
* Early (174.1–201.3 Mya)

Triassic (201.3–251.902 Mya)|

* Late (201.3–237 Mya)
* Middle (237–247.2 Mya)
* Early (247.2–251.902 Mya)

Paleozoic era
(251.902–541.0 Mya)|

| Permian (251.902–298.9 Mya)|

* Lopingian (251.902–259.8 Mya)
* Guadalupian (259.8–272.3 Mya)
* Cisuralian (272.3–298.9 Mya)

|

Carboniferous (298.9–358.9 Mya)|

* Pennsylvanian (298.9–323.2 Mya)
* Mississippian (323.2–358.9 Mya)

Devonian (358.9–419.2 Mya)|

* Late (358.9–382.7 Mya)
* Middle (382.7–393.3 Mya)
* Early (393.3–419.2 Mya)

Silurian (419.2–443.8 Mya)|

* Pridoli (419.2–423.0 Mya)
* Ludlow (423.0–427.4 Mya)
* Wenlock (427.4–433.4 Mya)
* Llandovery (433.4–443.8 Mya)

Ordovician (443.8–485.4 Mya)|

* Late (443.8–458.4 Mya)
* Middle (458.4–470.0 Mya)
* Early (470.0–485.4 Mya)

Cambrian (485.4–541.0 Mya)|

* Furongian (485.4–497 Mya)
* Miaolingian (497–509 Mya)
* Series 2 (509–521 Mya)
* Terreneuvian (521–541.0 Mya)

Proterozoic eon
(541.0 Mya–2.5 Gya)|

| Neoproterozoic (541.0 Mya–1 Gya)|

* Ediacaran (541.0–~635 Mya)
* Cryogenian (~635–~720 Mya)
* Tonian (~720 Mya–1 Gya)

|

Mesoproterozoic (1–1.6 Gya)|

* Stenian (1–1.2 Gya)
* Ectasian (1.2–1.4 Gya)
* Calymmian (1.4–1.6 Gya)

Paleoproterozoic (1.6–2.5 Gya)|

* Statherian (1.6–1.8 Gya)
* Orosirian (1.8–2.05 Gya)
* Rhyacian (2.05–2.3 Gya)
* Siderian (2.3–2.5 Gya)

Archean eon (2.5–4 Gya)|

| Eras|

* Neoarchean (2.5–2.8 Gya)
* Mesoarchean (2.8–3.2 Gya)
* Paleoarchean (3.2–3.6 Gya)
* Eoarchean (3.6–4 Gya)

|

Hadean eon (4–4.6 Gya)|

|  |

|

kya = thousands years ago. Mya = millions years ago. Gya = billions years ago.
See also: Geologic time scale

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