4-2 High-latitude terrestrial paleoclimate from Paleocene/Eocene paleosols of the Faroe Islands

Session: Recent Advances in Soil and Paleosol Science

Presenting Author:

Authors:

Abstract:

High-latitude regions are currently warming faster than the rest of the planet, driving rapid ecosystem shifts. Our understanding of high-latitude terrestrial change may be informed by paleoenvironmental reconstructions across the Late Paleocene-Early Eocene transition (LPEE; ~58–50 Ma), which featured rapid warming events and long-term elevated [CO₂]. However, terrestrial paleoclimate data from high latitudes are rare, and there are currently no published data from high-latitude fossilized soils (paleosols) spanning the LPEE. Here, we present paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental reconstructions derived from high-latitude interbasaltic paleosols that formed between ~60–54.5 Ma in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago located at 62°N in the North Atlantic Igneous Province. We use whole-rock geochemical proxies and palynological records to estimate mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature (MAT), and “floral humidity province” (FHP): an estimate of the biome and general vegetation type in which a soil formed. Results show a decrease in MAT and MAP from the Late Paleocene to the Early Eocene, but FHP remained largely unchanged, indicating “wet forest” conditions throughout the interval. We will situate these novel high-latitude terrestrial data in a global context by comparing them to model results (e.g., EoMiP), nearby sea-surface temperature reconstructions, and floral records.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved.