Eocene–Oligocene climate transition
E49688
The Eocene–Oligocene climate transition was a major global cooling event around 34 million years ago that marked the shift from a greenhouse to an icehouse Earth, including the formation of large Antarctic ice sheets.
Aliases (3)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Cenozoic climate transition
→
global cooling event → paleoclimatic event → |
| alsoKnownAs |
EOT
→
Eocene–Oligocene climate transition →
surface form: "Eocene–Oligocene boundary event"
Eocene–Oligocene climate transition →
surface form: "Eocene–Oligocene transition"
|
| associatedWith |
Eocene–Oligocene climate transition
→
surface form: "Eocene–Oligocene extinction events"
expansion of grasslands in some regions → turnover in mammalian faunas → |
| characterizedBy |
changes in atmospheric CO2 levels
→
changes in ocean circulation → global cooling → growth of Antarctic ice sheets → rapid temperature drop → shift from greenhouse to icehouse climate state → |
| endTime | early Oligocene epoch → |
| followedBy | Oligocene icehouse climate state → |
| hasCause |
Antarctic isolation by circumpolar currents
→
decline in atmospheric CO2 concentration → opening of Southern Ocean gateways → tectonic reorganization → |
| hasEffect |
changes in marine biodiversity
→
changes in terrestrial ecosystems → cooling of deep oceans → expansion of Antarctic ice sheets → onset of large-scale Antarctic glaciation → reorganization of atmospheric circulation → reorganization of ocean circulation patterns → sea-level fall due to ice-sheet growth → strengthening of equator-to-pole temperature gradients → |
| locationOfEffect |
Antarctica
→
Southern Ocean → deep ocean basins → global climate system → |
| occursAtTime | Eocene–Oligocene boundary → |
| partOf |
Cenozoic
→
surface form: "Cenozoic Era"
Paleogene →
surface form: "Paleogene Period"
|
| precededBy | Eocene greenhouse climate state → |
| separates |
Paleogene
→
surface form: "Eocene Epoch"
Oligocene Epoch → |
| significance |
established persistent polar ice sheets on Earth
→
major step in long-term Cenozoic cooling trend → |
| startTime | approximately 34 million years ago → |
| studiedUsing |
benthic foraminifera isotopes
→
deep-sea oxygen isotope records → marine sediment cores → paleobotanical data → terrestrial sedimentary records → |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form: "Eocene–Oligocene transition"
this entity surface form: "Eocene–Oligocene boundary event"
this entity surface form: "Eocene–Oligocene extinction events"