Thanetian
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The Thanetian is, in the Epoch or Series. It spans the time between 59.2 and 56 Ma. The Thanetian is preceded by the Selandian Age and followed by the Ypresian Age (part of the Eocene).[5] The Thanetian is sometimes referred to as the Late Paleocene .
Stratigraphic definitionThe Thanetian was established by Swiss geologist Eugène Renevier in 1873. The Thanetian is named after the Thanet Formation, the oldest Cenozoic deposit of the London Basin, which was first identified in the area of Kent (southern England) known as the Isle of Thanet. The base of the Thanetian Stage is laid at the base of magnetic Pais Vasco, northern Spain.[6] Fossils of the unicellular planktonic marine coccolithophore Areoligeria gippingensis make their first appearance at the base of the Thanetian, and help define its lowest stratigraphic boundary.
The top of the Thanetian Stage (the base of the Ypresian) is defined at a strong negative anomaly in δ13C values at the global thermal maximum at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary .
The Thanetian Stage is coeval the lower Neustrian Landenian and Heersian of Belgium .
PalaeontologyThe Sézanne flora is a fossil assemblage preserved in freshwater limestone deposits at Sézanne, laid down during the Thanetian Age, when Europe enjoyed a tropical climate. In the lagerstätte, leaves, entire flowers and seeds are minutely preserved. Also, the first representatives of Proboscidea appeared, Eritherium.[8] ClimateThis period was characterized by temperatures warmer than those of today.[9] See alsoReferences
Literature Wikisource has original works on the topic: Cenozoic#Paleogene
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