Events of the Cenozoic Notes
Paleocene
Starts with K-Pg event – defined by a high-iridium band,
Impact craters
o Connolly Basin Crater – W. Australia
o Marquez Crater – Texas
Continents
o N. Hemisphere
N. America and Eurasia connected by various land bridges.
N. America and E. Asia = Beringia (65.5 – 58mya)
Greenland and Scandinavia = the De Greer Route (71 – 63mya)
N. America and W. Europe via Greenland = Thulean Route (57 – 55.8mya)
N. and S. America remain separated by the Central American Seaway, though an island
arc is present.
Isthmus of Panama would connect them by 2.6mya
Antarctica is still connected to Australia and S. America.
Africa was heading north towards Europe,
Indian subcontinent was heading towards Asia and would eventually close the Tethys sea.
Climate
o Tropical or subtropical,
o Poles free from ice.
o Average global temperature: 24 – 25 degrees Celsius
Eocene
Starts with Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
Geography
o Australia and Antarctica remain connected.
o Laurasia began to fragment.
Europe, Greenland, and N. America drifted apart,
o India began to collide with Asia – Himalayas begin to form.
o Tethys sea finally disappeared.
Climate
o The Eocene began with a warming period and ended with an icehouse climate.
o There was little to no ice present with a small temperature difference between the poles and
the equator.
Oligocene
Antarctica becomes more isolated and finally breaks away from South America. This allowed the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current to flow which rapidly cooled Antarctica.
Paleocene
Starts with K-Pg event – defined by a high-iridium band,
Impact craters
o Connolly Basin Crater – W. Australia
o Marquez Crater – Texas
Continents
o N. Hemisphere
N. America and Eurasia connected by various land bridges.
N. America and E. Asia = Beringia (65.5 – 58mya)
Greenland and Scandinavia = the De Greer Route (71 – 63mya)
N. America and W. Europe via Greenland = Thulean Route (57 – 55.8mya)
N. and S. America remain separated by the Central American Seaway, though an island
arc is present.
Isthmus of Panama would connect them by 2.6mya
Antarctica is still connected to Australia and S. America.
Africa was heading north towards Europe,
Indian subcontinent was heading towards Asia and would eventually close the Tethys sea.
Climate
o Tropical or subtropical,
o Poles free from ice.
o Average global temperature: 24 – 25 degrees Celsius
Eocene
Starts with Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
Geography
o Australia and Antarctica remain connected.
o Laurasia began to fragment.
Europe, Greenland, and N. America drifted apart,
o India began to collide with Asia – Himalayas begin to form.
o Tethys sea finally disappeared.
Climate
o The Eocene began with a warming period and ended with an icehouse climate.
o There was little to no ice present with a small temperature difference between the poles and
the equator.
Oligocene
Antarctica becomes more isolated and finally breaks away from South America. This allowed the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current to flow which rapidly cooled Antarctica.
