Knowra Paleocene Paleocene The first epoch of the Paleogene Period, spanning about 66 to 56 million years ago. It followed the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction and preceded the Eocene.
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event : A mass extinction about 66 million years ago that eliminated non-avian dinosaurs and many other species. It marks the Paleocene’s beginning and reshaped its ecosystems.
Paleocene mammal radiation : The diversification of mammalian groups during the Paleocene after the end-Cretaceous extinction. It captures the epoch’s most conspicuous ecological reorganization.
Geologic time scale : A system that divides Earth's history into eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages. It places the Paleocene within the hierarchy of geological time.
Cretaceous : The final period of the Mesozoic Era, ending about 66 million years ago. The Paleocene followed the Cretaceous and its mass extinction.
Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum : A brief, intense global warming event about 56 million years ago, marked by a large release of carbon. This major warming episode occurred at the epoch’s close.
Purgatorius : An early mammal genus known from fossils near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, often placed among early primate relatives. Its fossils illuminate mammal survival and diversification around the epoch’s opening.
Paleogene : The geological period spanning roughly 66 to 23 million years ago, comprising the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs. The Paleocene is the Paleogene’s first epoch.
Eocene : The geological epoch following the Paleocene, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago. It succeeded the Paleocene and saw further mammalian diversification.
Carbon cycle : The movement of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms. Carbon-cycle shifts help explain Paleocene climate and the warming at its end.
Ceratopsian : A group of horned or beaked dinosaurs that included Triceratops and became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. Its disappearance contrasts with the mammalian diversification that followed.
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