Tag

Miocene

All articles tagged with #miocene

science22 days ago•7 min saved

Ancient Seas, Modern Cliffs: New Study Rewrites the Twelve Apostles’ Origin

A new study in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences shows the Twelve Apostles formed from Miocene-era seabed rocks, with the Port Campbell Limestone deposited roughly 14 to 8.6 million years ago and a warm interval around 14.1–13.8 million years ago recorded by abundant foraminifera fossils. Tectonic uplift began about 8.6 million years ago, lifting the rocks above sea level and enabling coastal erosion to sculpt headlands, arches, and eventually the sea stacks—an ongoing process following the last ice age. The rocks are ancient, but the iconic formations are geologically recent, highlighting how long-term tectonics and coastal dynamics shape the landscape.”

via Indian Defence Review|

#coastal-erosion #earth-science #foraminifera

environment1 month ago•3 min saved

Twelve Apostles Reveal a 14-Million-Year Geological History

Microfossil dating places Victoria’s Twelve Apostles between 8.6 and 14 million years old, revealing a tilted, multi-layer record from the Miocene climate transition and showing how erosion created the current sea stacks.

via The Guardian|

#australia #earth-sciences #environment

science1 month ago•9 min saved

Ancient Coccoliths Reveal a Cooler Miocene North Atlantic Than Expected

A Nature Communications study applies clumped-isotope geochemistry to exceptionally well-preserved fossil coccoliths to reconstruct 16 million years of North Atlantic temperatures, finding temperatures about 9°C cooler than previous alkenone-based estimates and closer to climate model simulations, challenging the view of extreme Miocene warmth and highlighting the need to re-evaluate climate proxies.

via SciTechDaily|

#clumped-isotope-geochemistry #coccolithophores #miocene

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Ancient Anacondas Stayed 4–5 Meters Long for 12 Million Years

Fossils from Venezuela show ancient anacondas were about 4–5 meters long soon after appearing ~12.4 million years ago, and their size stayed largely unchanged through the Miocene, unlike other giants that disappeared; researchers used vertebrae measurements and ancestral state reconstruction to confirm the finding.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#anaconda #fossils #miocene

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Magnetic Clues Reframe the Americas’ Collision Timeline

New magnetic data from Colombian volcanic rocks shows that the collision between Central and South America began well before the previously accepted timeline, mainly during the Oligocene to middle Miocene, implying a gradual deformation rather than a late, abrupt event and potentially shifting the timing of the Isthmus of Panama with broad implications for ocean circulation, climate, and biodiversity.

via Indian Defence Review|

#geology #magnetic-evidence #miocene

science1 month ago•32 min saved

Egyptian jaw fossil prompts rethink of ape origins

A fossilized lower jaw from Sinai’s Wadi Maghara, attributed to a new genus and species Masripithecus moghraensis and dated to the Early Miocene (~17–18 million years ago), suggests apes may have originated farther north than East Africa, challenging the long-held East African origin model.

via Yahoo|

#ape-origins #egypt #masripithecus-moghraensis

science1 month ago•9 min saved

Sinai fossil hints apes may have North African roots

A 17–18 million-year-old ape jaw from Sinai’s Wadi Maghara is named Masripithecus moghraensis and suggests apes may have originated in North Africa rather than East Africa; the incomplete fossil sits before the great-ape/lesser-ape split, potentially reshaping origin stories, but more complete fossils are needed to confirm.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#apes #masripithecus-moghraensis #miocene

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Egypt fossil hints northern Africa as cradle of ape origins

Researchers describe Masripithecus moghraensis, a newly identified fossil ape from northern Egypt dating to about 17–18 million years ago, as a close stem hominoid to the lineage that gave rise to all living apes. Using Bayesian tip-dating, the find suggests northern Afro-Arabia could be a cradle for ape origins and underscores the role of Afro-Arabia as a Miocene biogeographic crossroads, challenging the East Africa–centered view while acknowledging gaps in Africa’s fossil record.

via ScienceDaily|

#afro-arabia #early-apes #hominoid-evolution

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Arctic 23-Million-Year-Old Rhino Fossil Rewrites Rhino Evolution

A 23-million-year-old hornless rhino, Epiaceratherium itjilik, was unearthed in Canada’s High Arctic at Haughton Crater, with about 75% of its skeleton remarkably well preserved. The find offers new insights into Arctic ecosystems, rhino evolution, and long-distance migration via a North Atlantic land bridge, while recent advances in paleontology include recovering partial proteins from enamel in 2025, expanding methods for studying ancient mammals.

via Indian Defence Review|

#arctic #fossil #migration

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Brazil Reveals 6.3-Million-Year Meteor Impact Through New Tektite Field

Brazilian researchers identified a new tektite field, geraisites, from a 6.3-million-year-old meteor impact that spread tektites over roughly 900 km in Minas Gerais and neighboring states; analyses of silica content, low water, lechatelierite inclusions, and argon-argon dating place the event in the late Miocene, with a buried São Francisco Craton crater likely as the source.

via Indian Defence Review|

#brazil #geraisites #meteor-impact

science3 months ago•9 min saved

First Brazilian Tektite Field Traces 6.3-Million-Year Cosmic Impact

Brazilian researchers have identified the country’s first tektite field, Geraisites, a collection of glassy fragments spread across Minas Gerais and adjacent states that indicate a substantial ancient impact. Dating with 40Ar/39Ar places the event at about 6.3 million years ago, during the Miocene, with isotopic signatures pointing to a very old continental crust source in the São Francisco craton. The field now spans over 900 km, and while no crater is yet known, the data imply a powerful impact with dispersed molten material; researchers plan aerogeophysical surveys and modeling to estimate the event’s energy, velocity, and crater geometry. This discovery expands South America’s sparse tektite record and suggests tektites may be more common than previously thought.

via SciTechDaily|

#brazil #geology #impact

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Peruvian Fossil Unveils 9-Million-Year-Old Shark, a Relative Of the Great White

Scientists in Peru's Pisco Basin unearthed a remarkably well-preserved near-complete skeleton of Cosmopolitodus hastalis, an ancient relative of the great white shark. Dated to about 9 million years ago, the specimen includes a full jaw with serrated teeth and even preserved stomach contents—sardines—offering rare insight into late Miocene marine ecosystems and early apex-predator lifestyles.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#fossils #miocene #paleontology

earth-science4 months ago•9 min saved

Rusty Ferricrete Fossils Unveil Ultra-Detailed Miocene Life at McGraths Flat

An 11–16 million-year-old ferricrete deposit at McGraths Flat in New South Wales preserves exceptionally detailed terrestrial fossils in goethite, challenging the notion that such exceptional preservation only occurs in shale or sandstone and offering a new pathway to locate iron-based fossil beds.

via SciTechDaily|

#earth-science #ferricrete #goethite

science5 months ago•7 min saved

Anacondas Have Remained Massive for Over 12 Million Years

A study reveals that anacondas have maintained an average length of 13-16 feet for the past 12 million years, indicating their size has remained remarkably constant since the Miocene epoch, despite environmental changes and other species going extinct.

via Live Science|

#anacondas #body-size #fossil-record

science5 months ago•3 min saved

Ancient Anacondas: Giants That Have Stayed Massive for Over 12 Million Years

Scientists discovered fossils of giant anacondas in Venezuela, revealing they reached about 5.2 meters in length around 12.4 million years ago, and surprisingly, their size has remained unchanged since then, despite climate changes and other reptiles evolving differently. The findings shed light on the evolution and persistence of these massive snakes in South America.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#anacondas #fossils #gigantism