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Cenozoic Atmospheres and Early Hominins

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Evolution of the Atmosphere, Fire and the Anthropocene Climate Event Horizon

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Abstract

The Cenozoic era includes four components (A) post K-T impact warming culminating with the Paleocene-Eocene hyperthermal at ~55 Ma; (B) long term cooling ending with a sharp temperature plunge toward formation of the Antarctic ice sheet from 32 Ma; (C) a post-32 Ma era dominated by the Antarctic ice sheet, including limited thermal rises in the end-Oligocene, mid-Miocene and end-Pliocene, and (D) Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. Hominin evolution in Africa occurred during a transition from tropical to dry climates punctuated by alternating periods of extreme orbital forcing-induced glacial-interglacial cycles, suggesting variability selection of Hominids.

Hominids—the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes (that is, modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans plus all their immediate ancestors). Hominin—the group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors (including members of the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Ardipithecus).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, A.D. Hope Building #14, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Andrew Y. Glikson

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Correspondence to Andrew Y. Glikson .

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Glikson, A.Y. (2014). Cenozoic Atmospheres and Early Hominins. In: Evolution of the Atmosphere, Fire and the Anthropocene Climate Event Horizon. SpringerBriefs in Earth Sciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7332-5_3

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