The Paleocene, or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek παλαιός palaiós meaning "old" and the Eocene Epoch, translating to "the old part of the Eocene".
Portrait of Wilhelm Philipp Schimper who coined the term "Paleocene"
K–Pg boundary recorded in a Wyoming rock (the white stripe in the middle)
The sea cliffs of Itzurun beach near the town of Zumaia, Spain, the GSSP for the Selandian and Thanetian
Paleocene coal is extracted at the Cerrejón mine, the world's largest open-pit mine
The Cenozoic is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66 million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds, and angiosperms. It is the latest of three geological eras, preceded by the Mesozoic and Paleozoic. The Cenozoic started with the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, when many species, including the non-avian dinosaurs, became extinct in an event attributed by most experts to the impact of a large asteroid or other celestial body, the Chicxulub impactor.
Rock deposits from the Cenozoic Era (Torre Sant'Andrea, Salento, Italy)
Basilosaurus
Megafauna of Pleistocene Europe (mammoths, cave lions, woolly rhino, reindeer, horses)
