An Overview of Paleo-Climate Evidence in Egypt
29
Fig. 4 Position of main Paleogene climatic events against the generalized oxygen and carbon
isotope curves for the Paleogene [11]
over about 10,000 years (Fig. 4). Subsequently, this thermal maximum was shown to
gradually decrease to pre-excursion δ
13 C org values over about 150,000–220,000 years
[45]. The PETM is characterized by a decline in oxygen isotope ratios indicating
warming of 3–4 °C of surface water and 6 °C in deep water. This increase in temperature is associated by a negative shift in carbon isotope of nearly −2‰ for the benthic
foraminifera and −4‰ for planktic foraminifera. The PETM events, led to major
species extinctions in deep marine benthic foraminifera [100–102] but diversification
in planktic foraminifera with subtropical affinities [103–105]. Mineralogically, the
29
Fig. 4 Position of main Paleogene climatic events against the generalized oxygen and carbon
isotope curves for the Paleogene [11]
over about 10,000 years (Fig. 4). Subsequently, this thermal maximum was shown to
gradually decrease to pre-excursion δ
13 C org values over about 150,000–220,000 years
[45]. The PETM is characterized by a decline in oxygen isotope ratios indicating
warming of 3–4 °C of surface water and 6 °C in deep water. This increase in temperature is associated by a negative shift in carbon isotope of nearly −2‰ for the benthic
foraminifera and −4‰ for planktic foraminifera. The PETM events, led to major
species extinctions in deep marine benthic foraminifera [100–102] but diversification
in planktic foraminifera with subtropical affinities [103–105]. Mineralogically, the