Thanetian | |||||||||||||
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Chronology | |||||||||||||
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Formerly part of | Tertiary Period/System | ||||||||||||
Etymology | |||||||||||||
Name formality | Formal | ||||||||||||
Usage information | |||||||||||||
Celestial body | Earth | ||||||||||||
Regional usage | Global (ICS) | ||||||||||||
Time scale(s) used | ICS Time Scale | ||||||||||||
Definition | |||||||||||||
Chronological unit | Age | ||||||||||||
Stratigraphic unit | Stage | ||||||||||||
Time span formality | Formal | ||||||||||||
Lower boundary definition | Base of magnetic polarity chronozone C26n | ||||||||||||
Lower boundary GSSP | Zumaia Section, Basque Country, Spain 43°17′59″N 2°15′39″W / 43.2996°N 2.2609°W | ||||||||||||
Lower GSSP ratified | 2008[3] | ||||||||||||
Upper boundary definition | Strong negative anomaly in δ13C values at the PETM[4] | ||||||||||||
Upper boundary GSSP | Dababiya section, Luxor, Egypt[4] 25°30′00″N 32°31′52″E / 25.5000°N 32.5311°E | ||||||||||||
Upper GSSP ratified | 2003[4] |
The Thanetian is, in the ICS Geologic timescale, the latest age or uppermost stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between 59.2 and 56 Ma. The Thanetian is preceded by the Selandian Age and followed by the Ypresian Age (part of the Eocene).[5] The Thanetian is sometimes referred to as the Late Paleocene.