LÉocène

L'Éocène is a geological epoch that spans from approximately 56 to 33.9 million years ago. It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period, following the Paleocene and preceding the Oligocene. The Eocene was a time of significant warming and diversification of life, particularly of mammals and marine organisms.

The epoch began with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, a rapid and extreme global warming event that lasted for thousands of years. This event is thought to have been caused by massive releases of carbon into the atmosphere. Following this warming event, global temperatures gradually rose throughout much of the Eocene. The climate was generally warm and humid, with tropical and subtropical forests extending to high latitudes. Sea levels were also significantly higher than today, inundating large areas of the continents.

During the Eocene, major evolutionary radiations occurred. Mammals, which had been relatively small and inconspicuous during the Paleocene, diversified rapidly into a wide array of forms, including early primates, whales, bats, and perissodactyls (odd-toed ungulates). Marine life also flourished, with the evolution of new types of plankton, fish, and marine reptiles. The breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea continued, leading to the formation of the Atlantic Ocean and the separation of North America from Eurasia. The collision of India with Asia began to form the Himalayas. The Eocene ended with another significant cooling event, the Eocene-Oligocene Transition, which led to the development of ice sheets in Antarctica.