#miocene — Public Fediverse posts

The rise and expansion of reef systems in the Indo-Pacific during the warm and CO2 high Miocene (and decline in the aftermath) will never stop being puzzling to me. Now we have evidence that it also had the biodiversity effects expected.

Link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec7264

#reefs #Miocene #biodiversity #paleontology

https://www.europesays.com/be-fr/61180/ Cette mâchoire vieille de 18 millions d’années pourrait bouleverser l’origine des grands singes… et la nôtre ! #AfriqueDuNord #BE #BEFr #Belgique #Belgium #DécouverteDeFossile #fossile #GrandsSinges #Humanite #MâchoireInférieure #MâchoireInférieureFossilisée #Miocène #NouvelleEspèce #Primate #Science #ScienceAndTechnology #Sciences #SciencesEtTechnologies #Singe #Technologies #Technology

https://www.europesays.com/fr/837410/ Cette mâchoire vieille de 18 millions d’années pourrait bouleverser l’origine des grands singes… et la nôtre ! #AfriqueDuNord #DécouverteDeFossile #fossile #FR #France #GrandsSinges #humanité #MâchoireInférieure #MâchoireInférieureFossilisée #Miocène #NouvelleEspèce #Primate #Science #ScienceAndTechnology #Sciences #SciencesEtTechnologies #Singe #Technologies #Technology

https://www.europesays.com/ch-fr/73339/ Cette mâchoire vieille de 18 millions d’années pourrait bouleverser l’origine des grands singes… et la nôtre ! #AfriqueDuNord #DécouverteDeFossile #fossile #GrandsSinges #Humanite #MâchoireInférieure #MâchoireInférieureFossilisée #Miocène #NouvelleEspèce #Primate #Science #ScienceAndTechnology #Sciences #SciencesEtTechnologies #Singe #Suisse #Technologies #Technology

Neogene Uplift Of The Chiribiquete Tabletop Mountains In The Colombian Amazon And Its Paleobiogeographic Implications
--
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113645 <-- shared paper
--
H/T Richard F. Ott
“The Chiribiquete are table top mountains located deep in the Colombian Amazon and host many rare endemic species. Helanlin Xiang's work shows that the Chiribiquete Mountains likely upifted before the Early Miocene and could have acted as a long-lived stepping stone, connecting species in the Andes with the Guyana Shield…”
--
#Miocene #Paleogeography #Palynology #Amazonia #Caquetá #paleobiogeography #Columbia #Amazon #jungle #geomorphology #neogene #uplift #geology #structuralgeology #tectonics #Chiribiquete #tabletopmountains #Andes #GuyanaShield #dating #isotopes #biome #ecosystem #tepui #elevation #sedimentology #stratigraphy #Araracuara #fluvial #lacustrine #deposition orogeny #regional #uplift #drainage #hydrography #hydrology #river #network #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geophysics #seismology

Neogene Uplift Of The Chiribiquete Tabletop Mountains In The Colombian Amazon And Its Paleobiogeographic Implications
--
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113645 <-- shared paper
--
H/T Richard F. Ott
“The Chiribiquete are table top mountains located deep in the Colombian Amazon and host many rare endemic species. Helanlin Xiang's work shows that the Chiribiquete Mountains likely upifted before the Early Miocene and could have acted as a long-lived stepping stone, connecting species in the Andes with the Guyana Shield…”
--
#Miocene #Paleogeography #Palynology #Amazonia #Caquetá #paleobiogeography #Columbia #Amazon #jungle #geomorphology #neogene #uplift #geology #structuralgeology #tectonics #Chiribiquete #tabletopmountains #Andes #GuyanaShield #dating #isotopes #biome #ecosystem #tepui #elevation #sedimentology #stratigraphy #Araracuara #fluvial #lacustrine #deposition orogeny #regional #uplift #drainage #hydrography #hydrology #river #network #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geophysics #seismology

Neogene Uplift Of The Chiribiquete Tabletop Mountains In The Colombian Amazon And Its Paleobiogeographic Implications
--
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113645 <-- shared paper
--
H/T Richard F. Ott
“The Chiribiquete are table top mountains located deep in the Colombian Amazon and host many rare endemic species. Helanlin Xiang's work shows that the Chiribiquete Mountains likely upifted before the Early Miocene and could have acted as a long-lived stepping stone, connecting species in the Andes with the Guyana Shield…”
--
#Miocene #Paleogeography #Palynology #Amazonia #Caquetá #paleobiogeography #Columbia #Amazon #jungle #geomorphology #neogene #uplift #geology #structuralgeology #tectonics #Chiribiquete #tabletopmountains #Andes #GuyanaShield #dating #isotopes #biome #ecosystem #tepui #elevation #sedimentology #stratigraphy #Araracuara #fluvial #lacustrine #deposition orogeny #regional #uplift #drainage #hydrography #hydrology #river #network #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geophysics #seismology

Neogene Uplift Of The Chiribiquete Tabletop Mountains In The Colombian Amazon And Its Paleobiogeographic Implications
--
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113645 <-- shared paper
--
H/T Richard F. Ott
“The Chiribiquete are table top mountains located deep in the Colombian Amazon and host many rare endemic species. Helanlin Xiang's work shows that the Chiribiquete Mountains likely upifted before the Early Miocene and could have acted as a long-lived stepping stone, connecting species in the Andes with the Guyana Shield…”
--
#Miocene #Paleogeography #Palynology #Amazonia #Caquetá #paleobiogeography #Columbia #Amazon #jungle #geomorphology #neogene #uplift #geology #structuralgeology #tectonics #Chiribiquete #tabletopmountains #Andes #GuyanaShield #dating #isotopes #biome #ecosystem #tepui #elevation #sedimentology #stratigraphy #Araracuara #fluvial #lacustrine #deposition orogeny #regional #uplift #drainage #hydrography #hydrology #river #network #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geophysics #seismology

Neogene Uplift Of The Chiribiquete Tabletop Mountains In The Colombian Amazon And Its Paleobiogeographic Implications
--
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113645 <-- shared paper
--
H/T Richard F. Ott
“The Chiribiquete are table top mountains located deep in the Colombian Amazon and host many rare endemic species. Helanlin Xiang's work shows that the Chiribiquete Mountains likely upifted before the Early Miocene and could have acted as a long-lived stepping stone, connecting species in the Andes with the Guyana Shield…”
--
#Miocene #Paleogeography #Palynology #Amazonia #Caquetá #paleobiogeography #Columbia #Amazon #jungle #geomorphology #neogene #uplift #geology #structuralgeology #tectonics #Chiribiquete #tabletopmountains #Andes #GuyanaShield #dating #isotopes #biome #ecosystem #tepui #elevation #sedimentology #stratigraphy #Araracuara #fluvial #lacustrine #deposition orogeny #regional #uplift #drainage #hydrography #hydrology #river #network #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geophysics #seismology

A 7.2M-year-old femur from Bulgaria shows early bipedalism predating known African bipeds. The bone, tentatively attributed to Graecopithecus, suggests walking upright may have begun in Eurasia, not Africa. #HumanEvolution #Paleoanthropology #Miocene https://www.anthropology.net/p/a-72-million-year-old-femur-from

Stupendemys geographica es la tortuga de agua dulce más grande que ha existido, con un caparazón que supera los 2 metros de longitud y la tonelada de peso. Vivió desde el Mioceno medio al comienzo del Plioceno (9-7,2 MdA) sin competición, manteniendo una dieta omnívora que incluía animales duros, como moluscos y pequeños cocodrilos. 📷Ryan Somma #mioceno #miocene #plioceno #pliocene

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

Durante el Mioceno medio (15 MdA) vivió el Kelenken guilermoi, el mayor ave del terror (Phorusrhacidae) con 3 metros de altura y un cráneo de 71,6 cm de longitud. Gran parte de esta longitud pertenece a su pico, que pudo haber usado como un hacha.📷Michael B. H. #mioceno #miocene

Another nice example of the long-term "it's all connected!" of the #ocean / #atmosphere system. When the Benguela Upwelling System shifted gears in the late #Miocene, it made southern #Africa more #arid.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02948-0

Its great when fossils you found, and helped others find, get used for research. Today the scores of wallaby bones that we have found at Alcoota are getting some attention
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.251591

#Alcoota #Miocene #AustralianWildlife

Team member Melania Ioannidou presented yesterday her poster at #ESHE2025! ✨ “Rethinking dental traits in hominin origins: Insights from Ouranopithecus macedoniensis (Late Miocene, Greece).” 🐵🦷 Congrats, Melania! 🤗
#Miocene #apes

The Betic Range experienced a kilometer-long topographic uplift since the Upper Miocene as a result of an epirogenic uplift driven by the tearing of the slabs. #miocene

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X25003010

I remember Jeremy McCormack presenting this nice #zinc #isotope dataset @ EGU this year showing how #Miocene sharks had diverse roles in the marine foodweb. Great study, glad to see it found a nice home in EPSL!
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X25001918

Ancient fossil sperm #whale may have been active predator https://phys.org/news/2025-05-ancient-patagonian-fossil-sperm-whale.html

Awakening #Patagonia's sleeping #SpermWhale: a new description of the Early #Miocene Idiorophus patagonicus. By Florencia Paolucci et al. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.70007

"Its snout features point to a lifestyle quite different from modern sperm #whales. It was likely an active predator of large #fish and possibly #seabirds, while extant #SpermWhales feed mostly on #cephalopods or small fish through suction feeding"

El Simbakubwa kutokaafrika era un depredador del Mioceno temprano (23000-22000 años) de tamaño incierto, pues podría ser más grande que un león o incluso un oso polar. Se especializaría en cazar a grandes herbívoros. 📷Mauricio Anton #mioceno #miocene

Giant croc-like carnivore fossils found in the Caribbean https://phys.org/news/2025-04-giant-croc-carnivore-fossils-caribbean.html

A South American sebecid from the #Miocene of Hispaniola documents the presence of apex predators in early West Indies ecosystems https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.2891

"Imagine a #crocodile built like a greyhound—that's a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in length, they dominated South American landscapes after the extinction of #dinosaurs"

We have a new paper, led by our former student Jing Lyu. For a long time, there has been a debate, just how far south deoxygenation extended in the Indian #Ocean during the #Miocene. Using paleontological indexes, we can now show that, despite prior claims, it did not extend to Broken Ridge near Australia.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1528487/full

El Poebrotherium era el antepasado de los camélidos, el primero con un aspecto que recuerda a las especies modernas, pero con el tamaño de una oveja. Entonces no estaba especializado ni en su hábitat, viviendo en llanuras, valles y bosques, ni en su alimentación, con una vida más similar a las gacelas. 📷Jonathan Chen #eoceno #eocene #mioceno #miocene

Ancient massive, stubby rhinos lived like hippos in North America

https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/palaeontology/rhinos-herds-like-hippos-in-north-america/

#science #paleontology #fossils #nebraska #miocene #rhino #hippo

#WeekendReading: Wubben et al., on warming in the tropics and intensification of monsoons during the high #temperatures of the #Miocene Climatic Optimum with a nice multi-proxy approach. Another piece to the puzzle interaction of global #warming and low latitude #climate.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023PA004767

Un antepasado de la seriema es el Phorusrhacos longissimus, un gran depredador del Mioceno de 2,4 metros de alto. 📷Zdeněk Burian #mioceno #miocene

I'm highly impressed by this awesome short-term #climate #reconstruction study by Iris Arndt and colleagues, who use a #giantclam from the #Miocene to study daily (!) climate variability in this warmer period, including potential #ENSO and #extreme #weather!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018224007004

This specimen of giant clam (Tridacna) lived about 10 million years ago in what is now Borneo, and there is now a record of every day of its 53 years-long life. Tracking changes in #climate and #ocenography in resolution we rarely have to the #Miocene
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112711

Durante unos 30 millones de años, entre el Eoceno y el Mioceno, en Sudamérica, vivía el Barinasuchus arveloi, el mayor sebécido, familia perteneciente a los crocodiliformes, con unos 6 metros de longitud. Era un carnívoro temible, pesando más de tonelada y media, por lo que podía consumir cualquier tipo de presa a su alcance.📷Julio Lacerda #eoceno #eocene #mioceno #miocene

El armadillo cornudo (Peltephilus) fue un mamífero herbívoro de grandes dientes triangulares que vivió en el Oligoceno (34-23 MdA) y se extinguió en el Mioceno (23-5,3 MdA). Es el otro mamífero fosorial conocido con cuernos.📷Apokryltaros #oligoceno #oligocene #mioceno #miocene

Always fun to talk #monsoons, productivity patterns, and the #Miocene Indian #Ocean. Great audience at @fu_berlin today.

Ancient #SeaCow that was attacked by both a primeval #crocodile and #shark sheds new light on prehistoric food chains https://phys.org/news/2024-08-ancient-sea-cow-primeval-crocodile.html

Trophic interactions of #sharks and #crocodylians with a sea cow (Sirenia) from the Miocene of Venezuela https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2381505

"the findings mark one of the sole specimen examples of a creature being attacked by two different #predators during the Early to Middle #Miocene epoch (23 million to 11.6 million years ago)."

Applications are open for the 2nd MagellanPlus 21st Century Drilling Workshop.
Come and form a team of geoscientists doing core description, #biostratigraphy, #geochemistry, and physical properties, trying to tease our understanding of the #Miocene ocean and climate.
Between 3 and 12 Nov 2024 at the #IODP Bremen Core Repository.
https://le.ac.uk/iodp/events/21st-century-drilling

Antelopine #Antelopes: The Giraffe-Gazelles https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2024/07/antelopine-antelopes-giraffe-gazelles.html

"Despite appearances, true #gazelles are not the closest living relatives of the #springbok. That honour is probably tied between two other species, although there have yet to be sufficient genetic studies to absolutely nail that down - one could be closer than the other. They likely diverged from the springbok over 10 million years ago in the late #Miocene"

Antelopine #Antelopes: The Giraffe-Gazelles https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2024/07/antelopine-antelopes-giraffe-gazelles.html

"Despite appearances, true #gazelles are not the closest living relatives of the #springbok. That honour is probably tied between two other species, although there have yet to be sufficient genetic studies to absolutely nail that down - one could be closer than the other. They likely diverged from the springbok over 10 million years ago in the late #Miocene"

Antelopine #Antelopes: The Giraffe-Gazelles https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2024/07/antelopine-antelopes-giraffe-gazelles.html

"Despite appearances, true #gazelles are not the closest living relatives of the #springbok. That honour is probably tied between two other species, although there have yet to be sufficient genetic studies to absolutely nail that down - one could be closer than the other. They likely diverged from the springbok over 10 million years ago in the late #Miocene"

Antelopine #Antelopes: The Giraffe-Gazelles https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2024/07/antelopine-antelopes-giraffe-gazelles.html

"Despite appearances, true #gazelles are not the closest living relatives of the #springbok. That honour is probably tied between two other species, although there have yet to be sufficient genetic studies to absolutely nail that down - one could be closer than the other. They likely diverged from the springbok over 10 million years ago in the late #Miocene"

Antelopine #Antelopes: The Giraffe-Gazelles https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2024/07/antelopine-antelopes-giraffe-gazelles.html

"Despite appearances, true #gazelles are not the closest living relatives of the #springbok. That honour is probably tied between two other species, although there have yet to be sufficient genetic studies to absolutely nail that down - one could be closer than the other. They likely diverged from the springbok over 10 million years ago in the late #Miocene"

How much warming in the middle #Miocene 15million years ago came from methane?
Methane is not constrained at all for the Miocene.
But I did the maths –yet I also warn you: I am maths dyslexic. 😁

tldr: with assumed 10 times more wetlands than today and all of the remaining landmass assumed to be like today's tiny "wild rest",
CH4 emissions were 2124 Mt per year.
Which amounted to 6608 ppb CH4 in the atmosphere which in itself caused +2.1°C .

CO2 in 15Ma is not well constrained either. (see below)
I calculate 560ppm to have contributed 3°C (current science working theory for ECS ±1).

So methane 2.1°C and CO2 3°C on their own, omitting all other climate factors, caused +5.1°C in the Miocene.

The breakdown of the numbers follows. With links.

# CO2:

Hoenisch et al 2023 published meticulously revised CO2 values from global #d13C proxies https://paleo-co2.org , their considered-best proxies are all oceanic in origin.

The chart #1 of 1milion years 15 million years ago, shows #Hoenisch ' s CO2 proxies as the horizontal lines. I chose to fill the gaps with repeated values between the rare data points. So each line segment really is only 1 data point at its right-most end.

560 ppm CO2 seems an okay guess, no?

#CH4 #methane

@Peters_Glen did a cool chart, more intuitive than the one in #AR6, I think. See pic 2 or his tweet where he plots the various greenhouse gases with their warming contribution 2010-2019: https://x.com/Peters_Glen/status/1431873249449680901

The average CH4 concentration in the decade 2010-2019 was 1840ppb (NOAA) and caused +0.51°C as per Glen's chart.

From Glen's chart follows my secret methane formula 😁
1 Mt methane <=> 3.111 ppb <=> 0.001 ºC

If emissions in 15Ma were 2124 Mt CH4 (see #landmass below), it resulted in 2.12°C at a concentration of 6608 ppb.

#Landmass

According to the Global Methane Budget by #GlobalCarbonProject : https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/12/1561/2020/

emissions from the "wild rest" 2008-2017 were 222 Mt CH4 annually . See picture 3.

The wild rest today is 54mio km2, according to #OurWorldInData https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture

Wild rest: 222 Mt CH4 from 54mio km2 = 4.1 t CH4 / km2.

Emissions from wetlands 2008-2017 were 180Mt CH4 (Tg=Mt) .
They cover 4.37% of the total land mass: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/coverage-of-wetlands?tab=chart&country=~OWID_WRL
4.37% of 141mio km2 total is:
Wetlands 6.2mio km2.

Wetlands: 180 Mt from 6.2 km2 = 30 t CH4 / km2.

In 15Ma Miocene, 10 times more wetlands would have been
62 mio km2.
And
wild rest 79 mio km2.

wetlands 62mio km2 times 30t CH4 = 1800 Mt CH4
wild rest 79 mio km2 times 4.1t CH4 = 324 Mt CH4.

Wetlands plus wild rest:
1800 Mt + 324 Mt = 2124 Mt CH4

secret methane formula:
1 Mt methane <=> 3.111 ppb <=> 0.001 ºC

2124 Mt <=> 6608 ppb <=> 2.12°C

Why do I assume that wetlands were 10x more than today, tho? Why not 15, 20 or 5 times more?

Dunno. Well, humans have unwetted lotsa wetlands since the invention of agriculture in the #Holocene. (Btw, the area of today's dried peatland alone emits 2Gt CO2 per year. See table on dried wetland areas and their emissions GHG:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15499-z/tables/2 #Günther et al 2020, based on IPCC guidelines for wetlands https://www.ipcc.ch/publication/2013-supplement-to-the-2006-ipcc-guidelines-for-national-greenhouse-gas-inventories-wetlands/ )

Hard to tell what area was covered by wetlands in the previous interglacial 126thsd years ago.

And in the middle Miocene, 15Ma?

My thinking goes like this:
The #Sahara was still forested 15Ma. As was the Gobi Desert probably. The prairies in the US were still forested, even #Greenland and #Antarctica. Northern #Russia had much more land mass back then, too.

Some of the different vegetation compared to pre-Holocene was due to different topography: the Rockies and Alpes were much, much lower, the high mountain ranges in East Asia didn't exist. #Australia was 15° further South. See also #Steinthordottir et al 2021 in "Miocene The Future Of The Past https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020PA004037
And the whole special Miocene issue:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)2572-4525.Miocene1

All land area had gap-less biomes growing. Mostly forests. What do forests do? Away from the coast, within the continents, forests control the hydrological cycle, how much evaporates and how much it rains. All biomes do, but forests most.
The more forests there are, the more it rains. Uninterrupted plant cover with its propagating rain cycle hinders deserts from forming in the heart of the continents, too.

Also, air holds 7% more water per 1°C warming, raising the potential rain amount.

Now, if it rains a lot, and depending on the topography, land is inundated temporary, seasonally or permanently, methane-producing microbes in the soil get to work presto, eat carbon and fart CH4.
The warmer it is, the more the microbes work.

But why 10x more wetlands?
Why not 7 or 15x?
Dunno. 10 feels right. And 6608ppb is nicely close to a guesstimate of mine that mid Miocene CH4 concentration cd have been 7000 ppb.
Maybe 400ppb came from huge animals, happily roaming among giant trees.
Brazil's Giant Sloth? The "wild rest" in the Miocene was HUGE! And cute.
#FridaysForFuture
#anloCH4

Esa piedra con forma de espiral es lo que se llama un "sacacorchos del diablo". Se trata de madrigueras de Palaeocastor del Mioceno encontradas en Wyoming y Nebraska. #paleofauna #oligoceno #oligocene #mioceno #miocene #wyoming #nebraska

A 22-million-year-old petrified #mangrove forest found in the Panama Canal https://phys.org/news/2024-01-million-year-petrified-mangrove-forest.html

An early #Miocene (#Aquitanian) mangrove #fossil forest buried by a #volcanic lahar at #BarroColoradoIsland, #Panama https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018223006247

"approximately 1 million years after the formation of #BarroColorado Island, a #volcano erupted, followed by a #lahar, which covered the island with mud and rocks. It also covered the #MangroveForest that had grown around the edges of the island."

A day after an earthquake caused a landslide that allowed the ocean to start flooding into the great dry abyss to the east,the water's power violently widens the gap and now a thousand Amazons flood into what will soon be the Mediterranean Sea again. The local animals have come to a large rock that will one day be named Gibraltar for safety and a view. Except the #Pelagornis, they're more interested in the fish falling down.

#ZancleanFlood #Pliocene #Miocene #Neogene #waterfall #paleoart #MyArt

Late Miocene Megalake Regressions In Eurasia
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91001-z <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #history #hydrology #geologichistory #Miocene #geology #lake #paleogeography #megalake #Paratethys #hydrology #water #paleoenvironment #stratigraphy #desiccation #regression #reconstruction #model #arid #aridification #vegetation #flora #fauna #ecosystem #endorheic #salinity #sea #hydrospatial #landscape #landcover #emergent #eurasia

In case you missed it - my talk from last week at the at #DGGV Sedimentology Lunch on how #carbonate factories in the #Mediterranean responded to it's restriction over the #Miocene is now available on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/GuVPQqhsxF0

For #FossilFriday this week I present a little personal mystery I think I have now solved. Way back in my youth I collected a few of these spiny objects from #Miocene marine clays on the banks of the #RiverMurray . What are they? My first guess was that they were fish jaws from a small predatory fish. 🧵