Paleogene Period
66 – 23.03 million years ago · Cenozoic Era
The Paleogene began in the aftermath of the dinosaurs’ extinction. Mammals and birds diversified rapidly, and the world moved from its warmest recent state toward the ice ages.
At a glance
- Began
- 66 Ma
- Ended
- 23.03 Ma
- Duration
- 42.97 million years
- Era
- Cenozoic
- Climate state
- Transitional (warm with glacial episodes)
- Land above sea level (PaleoDEM)
- ~33.9%
- Dinosaurs on our map
- 0
The world in the Paleogene
Open the interactive map at 50 Ma → Elevation view
What Earth was like
India collided with Asia, beginning the uplift of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. Australia separated from Antarctica and the Drake Passage opened between South America and Antarctica, allowing a current to circle Antarctica and isolate it.
Climate
The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, about 56 million years ago, was a sudden spike of global warming driven by massive carbon release. After the early Eocene climate optimum, Earth cooled, and at the Eocene–Oligocene boundary, about 34 million years ago, permanent ice sheets formed on Antarctica.
Life
Within a few million years of the impact, mammals filled the empty niches: early primates, horses, bats and whales all appeared. Early whales like Pakicetus walked on land before their descendants returned to the sea. Giant flightless birds were top predators in some regions.
Dinosaurs of the Paleogene
Non-avian dinosaurs were already gone, wiped out 66 million years ago. Their living descendants are birds.
How it ended
The Paleogene ended at 23.03 million years ago. The cooling at the Eocene–Oligocene transition, rather than the period boundary itself, caused its major turnover of species (the "Grande Coupure" in Europe).
Key facts
- The PETM is often studied as an ancient analogue for modern warming.
- The Himalayas began rising in the Paleogene and are still rising.
- Antarctica has had ice sheets for about 34 million years.
Data: land and sea
Across the Paleogene, an average of 33.9% of Earth’s surface stood above reconstructed sea level (range 29.8–37%). Today the same model gives 31.8%.
Where this data comes from
- Continent positions: GPlates Web Service, Müller et al. (2019) plate model, covering 0–250 Ma.
- Elevation and shorelines: PALEOMAP PaleoDEMs, Scotese & Wright (2018), doi:10.5281/zenodo.5460860, CC BY 4.0.
- Period boundaries: ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart (2023/09).
These are scientific reconstructions, not observations. Uncertainty grows the further back in time you go. About & data sources
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- About & data sourcesWhere the reconstructions and fossil data come from.