Priabonian Stage

The Priabonian (37.71–33.9 Ma) is the fourth and last age of the Eocene Epoch, occurring after the Bartonian, and before the Oligocene

Geologic Age

37.71–33.9 million years ago

Eon / Era / Period / Epoch

Phanerozoic; Cenozoic; Paleogene; Eocene

What happened during this time?

By the Late Eocene, the new ocean circulation resulted in a significantly lower mean annual temperature, with greater variability and seasonality worldwide
The lower temperatures and increased seasonality drove increased body size of mammals and caused a shift towards increasingly open savanna-like vegetation, with a corresponding reduction in forests.

Right: One of the largest amber-preserved flowers.

Flower inclusion of Symplocos kowalewskii from late Eocene Baltic amber. (a,b) Overview of the historic preparation of the amber specimen before restauration, showing fissures (b, upper arrowhead) and discoloration. The fractured cover slip had been fixed with tape (b, lower arrowhead). (c) Overview of the amber specimen after extraction from the glass chamber. (d,e) Flower from the upper (d) and lower side (e) after preparation. Note the fused staminate ring on the underside (e, arrowhead). Scale bars 1 cm in (a‒e).

(from Sadowski & Hoffman 2023)