Astrochronology of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum on the Atlantic Coastal Plain

Mingsong Li (), Timothy J. Bralower, Lee R. Kump, Jean M. Self-Trail, James C. Zachos, William D. Rush and Marci M. Robinson
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Mingsong Li: Peking University
Timothy J. Bralower: Pennsylvania State University
Lee R. Kump: Pennsylvania State University
Jean M. Self-Trail: U.S. Geological Survey
James C. Zachos: University of California Santa Cruz
William D. Rush: University of California Santa Cruz
Marci M. Robinson: U.S. Geological Survey

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract The chronology of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 Ma) remains disputed, hampering complete understanding of the possible trigger mechanisms of this event. Here we present an astrochronology for the PETM carbon isotope excursion from Howards Tract, Maryland a paleoshelf environment, on the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Statistical evaluation of variations in calcium content and magnetic susceptibility indicates astronomical forcing was involved and the PETM onset lasted about 6 kyr. The astrochronology and Earth system modeling suggest that the PETM onset occurred at an extreme in precession during a maximum in eccentricity, thus favoring high temperatures, indicating that astronomical forcing could have played a role in triggering the event. Ca content data on the paleo-shelf, along with other marine records, support the notion that a carbonate saturation overshoot followed global ocean acidification during the PETM.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33390-x

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