Editorial: Advances in paleogene research

In the search for an improved understanding of Paleogene evolution a session was organised by the International Subcommission on Paleogene Stratigraphy (ISPS) during the 2nd International Congress on Stratigraphy held in Graz, Austria in July 2015, and the collection of papers presented in this volume is a result of this conference. A total of 59 authors contributed to this session with 26 abstracts dealing with the effects of the Cretaceous/Paleogene impact event, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the transient events that characterize the Eocene world, and the Eocene/Oligocene transition. Half of the contributions focused on Eocene hyperthermal events, highlighting their importance in deciphering the response of Earth’s climate and biota to major perturbations of the global carbon cycle, and in understanding and predicting the consequences of on-going climate change. Studies from classical areas and ocean drilling sites are described and a relatively new section from Armenia is presented in an attempt by ISPS to broaden the areas of reference studies for the Paleogene.