In the
geologic timescale
The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochronol ...
the Ypresian is the oldest
age or lowest
stratigraphic stage of the
Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the
Thanetian Age (part of the
Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene
Lutetian Age. The Ypresian is consistent with the lower Eocene.
Events
The Ypresian Age begins during the throes of the
Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum
The Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), alternatively (ETM1), and formerly known as the "Initial Eocene" or "", was a time period with a more than 5–8 °C global average temperature rise across the event. This climate event o ...
(PETM). The
Fur Formation in
Denmark, the
Messel shales in
Germany, the
Oise amber of France and
Cambay amber of India are of this age. The
Eocene Okanagan Highlands are an uplands subtropical to temperate series of lakes from the Ypresian.
Stratigraphic definition
The Ypresian Stage was introduced in scientific literature by
Belgian geologist
André Hubert Dumont in 1850. The Ypresian is named after the
Flemish city of
Ypres in Belgium (spelled ''Ieper'' in Dutch). The definitions of the original stage were totally different from the modern ones. The Ypresian shares its name with the Belgian
Ieper Group (French: ''Groupe d'Ypres''), which has an Ypresian age.
The base of the Ypresian Stage is defined at a strong negative anomaly in
δ13C values at the
PETM. The official reference profile (
GSSP) for the base of the Ypresian is the Dababiya profile near the
Egyptian city of
Luxor.
[The GSSP was established by Dupuis ''et al.'' (2003)] Its original
type section was located in the vicinity of Ieper.
The top of the Ypresian (the base of the Lutetian) is identified by the first appearance of the
foraminifera genus ''Hantkenina'' in the fossil record.
The Ypresian Stage overlaps the upper Neustrian and most of the Grauvian
European Land Mammal Mega Zones (it spans the
Mammal Paleogene zones 7 through 10.
), the
Wasatchian and lower and middle
Bridgerian North American Land Mammal Ages
The North American land mammal ages (NALMA) establishes a geologic timescale for North American fauna beginning during the Late Cretaceous and continuing through to the present. These periods are referred to as ages or intervals (or stages when ref ...
, the
Casamayoran South American Land Mammal Age and the
Bumbanian and most of the
Arshantan Asian Land Mammal Ages. It is also coeval with the upper Wangerripian and lowest Johannian regional stages of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and the
Bulitian,
Penutian and Ulatisian regional stages of
California.
References
Literature
*
Dumont, A. H.; 1850: ''Rapport sur la carte géologique du Royaume'', Bulletins de l’Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique 16 (2), pp. 351–373.
*Dupuis, C.; Aubry, M.; Steurbaut, É; Berggren, W. A.; Ouda, K.; Magioncalda, R.; Cramer, B. S.; Kent, D. V.; Speijer, R. P. & Heilmann-Clausen, C.; 2003: ''The Dababiya Quarry Section: Lithostratigraphy, clay mineralogy, geochemistry and paleontology'', Micropaleontology 49 (1), pp. 41–59, .
*Gradstein, F. M.; Ogg, J. G. & Smith, A. G.; 2004: ''A Geologic Time Scale 2004'',
Cambridge University Press.
*Steurbaut, É.; 2006
''Ypresian'', Geologica Belgica 9 (1–2), pp. 73–93.
External links
Paleogene timescale
at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
Stratigraphic chart of the Paleogene
at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy
{{Geological history, p, c
Eocene geochronology
Geological ages