Paleogene Period

Paleogene Period

from the end of the Cretaceous period (66 million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene period (23.04 million years ago)

what was the world like?

Major Events

Interesting Facts

The climate during the Paleogene period was not quite the same throughout the entirety of the period. In the beginning the temperature was very warm allowing most of the earth to become tropical. From data gathered today we can see that during this time there were palm trees that stretched all the way to Greenland. towards the end of the period things began to cool. The plants alive during this time were very similar to the ones we have today. as the climate cooled A new ecosystem was created. The grasslands, this was very important for life on earth as it allowed mamals to take control by providing a place for heards of grazing animals.

• During this period there was a mass filling of the environment including all types of life.
• Primative birds and mamals were able to reproduce and rapidly spread.
• In the seas, planktonic foraminifera were able to begin new evolutionary paths along with nanofossils.
• During the Paleogene Continents drifted further and further apart getting closer to the modern format that we see today.

• Paleogene is the Greek word for "ancient- born"
• The idea of the Paleogene period came from europe and it was meant to bring attention to the similarity of marine fossils found in rocks of the first three Cenozoic epochs.
• In North America the Cenozoic has always been divided into two periods the Tertiary period and the Quaternary period however the idea that the Tertiary period should be replaced by the Paleogene and the Neogene is gaining much more popularity.

References

• https://www.britannica.com/science/Paleogene-Period
• https://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/paleogene_period.html
• https://natmus.humboldt.edu/exhibits/life-through-time/visual-timeline/paleogene-period