The Eocene is a formally defined epoch of the Paleogene Period within the Cenozoic Era, spanning approximately 56 to 34 million years ago, characterized by globally warm climates and high atmospheric CO₂ levels. It is subdivided into the Ypresian, Lutetian, Bartonian, and Priabonian ages based on biostratigraphic markers and magnetostratigraphy. The Eocene saw major diversification of modern mammalian orders, early primates, and marine fauna, as well as significant tectonic reconfigurations influencing ocean circulation. Notable climatic events include the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum and progressive cooling that initiated the transition toward Antarctic glaciation by the end of the epoch.
New geological data indicate that marine life is somewhat resilient to warming in the tropics. Chris Fokkema, Earth scientist at Utrecht University, discovered that tropical algae were largely unaffected by a number of periods ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 1, 2026
1
174
Paleontologists at the Canadian Museum of Nature have recently been studying the skeletal remains of a rhinoceros. This might not sound remarkable at first, but what makes these remains fascinating is that they were found ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 2, 2026
0
21
A new study using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has revealed that the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago caused only a modest decline in shark and ray species. The findings, published ...
Evolution
Jan 28, 2026
0
170
Around 56 million years ago, Earth suddenly got much hotter. Over about 5,000 years, the amount of carbon in the atmosphere drastically increased and global temperatures shot up by some 6°C.
Ecology
Dec 1, 2025
0
55
Fifty-six million years ago, during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), global temperatures rose by more than 5°C over 100,000 or more years. Between 3,000 and 20,000 petagrams of carbon were released into the atmosphere ...
Earth Sciences
May 15, 2025
0
42
