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Interesting Facts about the Eocene



  1. When was the Eocene epoch?

 The Eocene was a geological time period that lasted from 56 to 33.9 million years ago. It exists within the Paleogene Period.

 

2. What was the climate of the Eocene?

At this time, the Earth and oceans were much warmer than they are today. Average mean temperatures around the entire globe reached about 30° C / 86° F and the world was mostly free of ice. The climate was warm and wet to support forests overflowing with plants.  

 

3 What plants were in the Eocene?

A lush tropic forest blanketed most of the Earth. Many plants that we are now familiar with appeared during the Eocene. Flora of the Eocene include ferns, pines, beech, redwood trees, maples, birch, cedar, chestnut, elm, palms, sycamores, and willow trees.


You can search for fossilized plants, insects and fish from the Eocene at Stonerose Interpretive Center in Washington State

 

4. Where were the forests of the Eocene located?

Warm temperatures across the Earth caused tropical forests to flourish across much of the world. This included parts of modern Africa, South America, North America, Central America, India, South-east Asia, and China.

 

5. What animals and fauna were in the Eocene?

Many groups of “modern” animals made their first appearance at this time. The first primates, bats, even-toed hooved animals and the first horse appeared in the Eocene.

 

6. What were the largest animals of the Eocene?

The Eocene epoch saw the burgeoning of megafauna on Earth. Mammals that resembled rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses lived at this time. And whales and elephants appeared in the Eocene as well.

 

7. What geological forces occurred during the Eocene?

Plate tectonics caused the collision of India and Asia, which began to form the Himalayas. During the Eocene, Australia also separated from Antarctica.

 

8. What were the oceans like during the Eocene?

Sea levels were high for much of the Eocene, submerging large portions of continents. And, plate tectonics caused the ocean currents to change.

 

  1. What does the term Eocene mean?

Derived from the ancient Greek, "Eocene" means dawn and new, since this epoch saw the dawn of modern life on Earth.

 

  1. What ended the Eocene?

At the end of the Eocene, the Earth experienced an enormous shift in climate due to glaciation. This was the beginning of the Late Cenozoic Ice Age which caused an extinction event on Earth.

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