Global Paleogeographic Uncertainty at the PETM

ABSTRACT Although the marine magnetic anomaly record and the global paleomagnetic database for 0-200 Ma permit confident paleogeographic reconstruction for most of Cenozoic and much of Mesozoic time, there are several notable data gaps. One such underconstrained interval spans the Paleocene-Eocene boundary and its associated global change event. What high-quality recent paleomagnetic data do exist tend to contradict most published Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum paleogeographic maps by up to ~10 degrees, in a variable though globally systematic sense. When paleoclimate studies attempt to understand broad-scale global and specific regional environmental changes associated with PETM warming, such interpretations depend directly on the faithfulness of the paleomagnetic database. Specific examples of maximum and minimum sensitivity for environmental interpretations to different PETM paleomagnetic pole possibilities will be discussed.