Thanetian
Encyclopedia
The Thanetian is, in the ICS
' Geologic timescale, the latest age or uppermost stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene
Epoch
or series
. It spans the time between and . The Thanetian is preceded by the Selandian
age and followed by the Ypresian
age (part of the Eocene
). The Thanetian is sometimes referred to as the Late Paleocene sub-epoch.
geologist Eugène Renevier
in 1873. The Thanetian is named after the area of Kent
(southern England
) known as the Isle of Thanet
. It shares this name with the Thanet Sand Formation, the oldest Cenozoic
deposit of the London Basin
.
The base of the Thanetian stage is laid at the base of magnetic chronozone C26n. The references profile (Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point
) is in the Zumaia
section (43° 18'N, 2° 16'W) at the beach of Itzurun, Pais Vasco, northern Spain
.
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 European Land Mammal Mega Zone (it spans the Mammal Paleogene zone 6 and part of zones 1 through 5.), the upper Tiffanian
and Clarkforkian
North American Land Mammal Ages
, the Riochican
and part of the Itaboraian
South American Land Mammal Ages and the upper Nongshanian and Gashatan
Asian Land Mammal Ages
. The Thanetian is contemporary with the middle Wangerripian regional stage of Australia
and the upper Ynezian regional stage of California
. It overlaps the obsolete regional stages Landenian and Heersian of Belgium
.
, laid down during the Thanetian age, when Europe enjoyed a tropical climate. In the lagerstätte
, leaves, entire flowers and seeds are minutely preserved.
.; 1873: Tableau des terrains sédimentaires formés pendant les époques de la phase organique du globe terrestre, Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles (Lausanne
) 12: pp 218–252.
International Commission on Stratigraphy
The International Commission on Stratigraphy , sometimes referred to by the unofficial "International Stratigraphic Commission" is a daughter or major subcommittee grade scientific daughter organization that concerns itself with stratigraphy, geological, and geochronological matters on a global...
' Geologic timescale, the latest age or uppermost stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
Epoch
Epoch (geology)
An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale based on rock layering. In order, the higher subdivisions are periods, eras and eons. We are currently living in the Holocene epoch...
or series
Series (stratigraphy)
Series are subdivisions of rock layers made based on the age of the rock and corresponding to the dating system unit called an epoch, both being formally defined international conventions of the geological timescale. A series is therefore a sequence of rock depositions defining a...
. It spans the time between and . The Thanetian is preceded by the Selandian
Selandian
The Selandian is in the geologic timescale an age or stage in the Paleocene. It spans the time between and . It is preceded by the Danian and followed by the Thanetian. Sometimes the Paleocene is subdivided in subepochs, in which the Selandian forms the "Middle Paleocene".-Stratigraphic...
age and followed by the Ypresian
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between and , is preceded by the Thanetian age and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian age....
age (part of the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
). The Thanetian is sometimes referred to as the Late Paleocene sub-epoch.
Stratigraphic definition
The Thanetian was established by SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
geologist Eugène Renevier
Eugène Renevier
Eugène Renevier Swiss geologist, was born at Lausanne, Switzerland, as a descendant of a noble family.In 1857 he became professor of geology and paleontology in the University of Lausanne...
in 1873. The Thanetian is named after the area of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
(southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) known as the Isle of Thanet
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet lies at the most easterly point of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the nearly -wide River Wantsum, it is no longer an island ....
. It shares this name with the Thanet Sand Formation, the oldest Cenozoic
Cenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
deposit of the London Basin
London Basin
The London Basin is an elongated, roughly triangular sedimentary basin approximately long which underlies London and a large area of south east England, south eastern East Anglia and the adjacent North Sea...
.
The base of the Thanetian stage is laid at the base of magnetic chronozone C26n. The references profile (Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point
Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point
A Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point, abbreviated GSSP, is an internationally agreed upon stratigraphic section which serves as the reference section for a particular boundary on the geologic time scale. The effort to define GSSPs is conducted by the International Commission on...
) is in the Zumaia
Zumaia
Zumaia is a small town in the north of Spain in the Basque Country. The Mayor is Iñaki Agirrezabala, member of Eusko Alkartasuna and Gazte Abertzaleak....
section (43° 18'N, 2° 16'W) at the beach of Itzurun, Pais Vasco, northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
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
Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
The most extreme change in Earth surface conditions during the Cenozoic Era began at the temporal boundary between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs . This event, the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum , was associated with rapid global...
.
The Thanetian stage is coeval the lower Neustrian European Land Mammal Mega Zone (it spans the Mammal Paleogene zone 6 and part of zones 1 through 5.), the upper Tiffanian
Tiffanian
The Tiffanian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 60,200,000 to 56,800,000 years BP lasting . It is usually considered to overlap the Selandian and Thanetian within the...
and Clarkforkian
Clarkforkian
The Clarkforkian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 56,800,000 to 55,400,000 years BP lasting . It is usually considered to be within the Paleocene, more specifically the...
North American Land Mammal Ages
North American Land Mammal Ages
The North American Mammal Ages establishes a geologic timescale for prehistoric North American fauna beginning 66.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene...
, the Riochican
Riochican
The Riochican age is a period of geologic time within the Paleocene epoch of the Paleogene used more specifically with South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the Itaboraian and precedes the Casamayoran age....
and part of the Itaboraian
Itaboraian
The Itaboraian age is a period of geologic time within the Paleocene epoch of the Paleogene used more specifically with South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the Peligran and precedes the Riochican age....
South American Land Mammal Ages and the upper Nongshanian and Gashatan
Gashatan
The Gashatan is an Asian Land Mammal Age, a large biozone which corresponds to ages between 58.7—55.8 Ma for finds of fossil mammals in Asia. This zone lies within the Thanetian stage of the Paleocene series. It precedes the Bumbanian....
Asian Land Mammal Ages
Asian land mammal ages
The Asian Land Mammal Ages establishes a geologic timescale for prehistoric Asian fauna beginning 58.7 Mya during the Paleogene and continuing through to the Middle Pleistocene...
. The Thanetian is contemporary with the middle Wangerripian regional stage of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the upper Ynezian regional stage of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It overlaps the obsolete regional stages Landenian and Heersian of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Palaeontology
The Sézanne flora is a fossil assemblage preserved in freshwater limestone deposits at SézanneSézanne
Sézanne is a commune in the Marne department and Champagne-Ardenne region in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are called Sézannais.-See also:*Communes of the Marne department...
, laid down during the Thanetian age, when Europe enjoyed a tropical climate. In the lagerstätte
Lagerstätte
A Lagerstätte is a sedimentary deposit that exhibits extraordinary fossil richness or completeness.Palaeontologists distinguish two kinds....
, leaves, entire flowers and seeds are minutely preserved.
Literature
; 2007: Closing the Mid-Palaeocene gap: Toward a complete astronomically tuned Palaeocene Epoch and Selandian and Thanetian GSSPs at Zumaia (Basque Basin, W. Pyrenees), Earth and Planetary Science Letters 262: pp 450–467.; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University PressCambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
.; 1873: Tableau des terrains sédimentaires formés pendant les époques de la phase organique du globe terrestre, Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles (Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
) 12: pp 218–252.
External links
- GeoWhen Database - Thanetian
- Paleogene timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
- Stratigraphic chart of the Paleogene, at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy