Knowra Eocene Eocene The Eocene is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 34 million years ago, marked by a warm global climate and the diversification of modern mammal groups.
Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum : A brief, intense global warming event about 56 million years ago, accompanied by a large release of carbon into the atmosphere and oceans. This sharp warming event occurred at the Eocene’s beginning and helps explain its climatic baseline.
Messel Pit : A UNESCO-listed fossil site in Germany preserving exceptionally detailed Eocene plants, insects, and vertebrates. Its lake sediments capture a rich snapshot of middle Eocene forest life.
Geologic time scale : A system that divides Earth’s history into nested units based on stratigraphy and geochronology. It places the Eocene within the Cenozoic and defines its boundaries.
Paleoclimatology : The study of climates that existed before instrumental weather observations. Eocene sediments and fossils provide evidence for climates unlike those of today.
Eocene Climatic Optimum : A prolonged interval of exceptionally warm global climate during the early to middle Eocene. It represents the epoch’s sustained peak warmth, distinct from its brief opening thermal maximum.
Green River Formation : A sequence of Eocene lake deposits in the western United States known for abundant, well-preserved fossils. Its fish, plants, and other fossils document ecosystems in the warm Eocene interior.
Cenozoic : The geological era beginning about 66 million years ago and continuing to the present. The Eocene is one of the Cenozoic’s epochs, between the Paleocene and Oligocene.
Stable isotope analysis : A method that uses variations in isotope ratios to investigate past environments and biological processes. Oxygen and carbon isotopes help estimate Eocene temperatures and carbon-cycle changes.
Azolla event : A proposed episode of extensive Azolla fern growth in the Arctic Ocean around 49 million years ago, associated with reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide. Arctic fern blooms may have contributed to the long-term cooling that followed early Eocene warmth.
Bighorn Basin : A geological basin in Wyoming containing fossil-rich deposits that record Eocene mammals and climate. Its stratified fossil record tracks mammal change through early Eocene climate fluctuations.
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