Timothy J. Bralower Lee R. Kump Jean Self-Trail James C. Zachos William D. Rush Marci M. Robinson Mingsong Li 2022 <p><span>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.</span></p> application/pdf 10.1038/s41467-022-33390-x en Nature Publications Astrochronology of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum on the Atlantic Coastal Plain article