Home

Eocene

The Eocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period, lasting from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago. It follows the Paleocene and precedes the Oligocene. The epoch is subdivided by the International Chronostratigraphic Chart into Early Eocene (Ypresian), Middle Eocene (Lutetian and Bartonian), and Late Eocene (Priabonian). The base roughly coincides with the Paleocene–Eocene boundary, marked by a major global warming event, the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, and the upper boundary with the onset of cooler global climates in the Oligocene.

During the Eocene, the Earth experienced a warm, greenhouse climate with high sea levels and lush vegetation

The Eocene witnessed significant evolutionary diversification. Mammals flourished and diversified into many modern groups, including early

extending
into
higher
latitudes.
Tropical
to
temperate
forests
dominated
much
of
Eurasia
and
North
America,
and
marine
environments
supported
diverse
reef
systems.
By
the
late
part
of
the
epoch,
climates
began
to
cool
and
become
more
variable,
setting
the
stage
for
the
global
changes
of
the
Oligocene.
Continental
configurations
continued
to
rearrange,
with
continued
movement
of
the
Indian
plate
toward
Asia,
the
closing
of
parts
of
the
Tethys
Sea,
and
the
gradual
development
of
the
Antarctic
landmass
and
circumpolar
currents
that
contributed
to
global
cooling.
ungulates,
primates,
carnivorans,
and
marine
mammals
such
as
early
whales.
Birds
and
flowering
plants
continued
to
diversify,
while
forests
and
shrublands
provided
habitats
for
a
wide
array
of
species.
The
epoch
ended
with
further
cooling
and
drying,
leading
into
the
Oligocene
and
influencing
the
trajectory
of
global
climate
and
biogeography.