Paleocene

[ pey-lee-uh-seenor, especially British, pal-ee- ]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, from 65 to 55 million years ago, and characterized by a proliferation of mammals.

noun

1. the Paleocene Epoch or Series.

Paleocene

/ pā′lē-ə-sēn′ /

1. The earliest epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 65 to 58 million years ago. During this time, the Rocky Mountains formed and sea levels dropped, exposing dry land in North America, Australia, and Africa. Many new types of small mammals evolved and filled the niches left empty after the extinctions that ended the Cretaceous Period. Soft-bodied squid replaced the ammonites as the dominant form of mollusk.
2. See Chart at geologic time

Word History and Origins

Origin of Paleocene¹

First recorded in 1875–80; paleo- + -cene

Example Sentences

Paleontologists and geologists suspect that some amount of natural warming that took place during the Paleocene, or the period following the die-off, caused great deposits of crystallized methane to transform into gas.

From Popular-Science

The Oligocene division has been generally accepted as a distinct period, but “Paleocene” is not so widely used.

From Project Gutenberg

This collection was obviously of Torrejonian or middle Paleocene age.

From Project Gutenberg

The mammalian faunas of the Paleocene of central Utah, with notes on the geology.

From Project Gutenberg

Perhaps, this high ratio reflects the imperfectly carnivorous habits of the Paleocene creodonts as a group.

From Project Gutenberg