

KGS Home > Earth Science Education
Paleogene (Tertiary) Period-Eocene global warming

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Event. Phil Jardine, Paleontology online. Good, concise explanation of this ancient global warming event, including climate change and its effect on different types of life (mammals, plants, etc.).

Prehistoric climate change and why it matters now.  2009. Smithsonian Institution. Online lesson lets students use fossil leaves from various Eocene tree species and mathematical formulas to calculate average annual temperatures and Eocene temperature change.

Hothouse Earth. National Geographic online. November, 2011, article on the Eocene thermal maximum. Discusses evidence for this ancient global warming event, influences on life, and comparisons to modern concerns of possible man-made climate changes.

Methane hydrate and abrupt climate change. G. Dickens, 2004, Geotimes. Brief explanation of methane hydrates, carbon cycling, and evidence that release of methane from hydrates may have been responsible for the abrupt climate change in the Eocene. This is one possible cause of the Eocene warming event.

Ocean Burps and Climate Change?  Schmidt, G., 2003, NASA. Short description of the author's research on the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Shows abrupt change in isotopes and inferred ice volumes at the PETM and hypothesizes that increased methane emissions, possibly from methane hydrates, were the cause of the warming event.  See also Methane for a discussion of the importance of methane and methane hydrates on potential climate change.
Scientists Link Volcanic Activity to Global Warming. 2007, NASA Observatory News.  Short summary article of research that indicates volcanic activity from the opening of the North Atlantic during the Eocene may have been the cause of the Eocene thermal event. This is another possible source of greenhouse gases that may have caused Eocene warming.

Subtropical Arctic Ocean Temperatures. Nature. Slurjs, A., and others, 2006. Technical article provides evidence for an ice-free arctic during the Eocene thermal maximum.


Return to Earth History
Return to Key to Earth Science Standards
Return to Key Earth Science Links-Alphabetical Topics List
Return to Earth Science Education Page
Return to Kentucky Geological Survey Home Page