earth science

Priabonian

Priabonian is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Priabonian rather than just read about it. In short: The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between 37.71 and 33.9 Ma.

Key takeaways

Priabonian belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Priabonian to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Priabonian from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between 37.71 and 33.9 Ma. The Priabonian is preceded by the Bartonian and is followed by the Rupelian, the lowest stage of the Oligocene. Priabona, an extinct dipteran in the family Pipunculidae, is named after the Priabonian, the age of deposits from which this insect is known.

History and naming The Priabonian Stage was introduced in scientific literature by Ernest Munier-Chalmas and Albert de Lapparent in 1893. The stage is named after the small hamlet of Priabona in the community of Monte di Malo, in the Veneto region of northern Italy.

Stratigraphic definition The base of the Priabonian Stage is at the first appearance of calcareous nannoplankton species Chiasmolithus oamaruensis (which forms the base of nanoplankton biozone NP18). An official GSSP was ratified in 2020, and was placed in the Alano di Piave section in Alano di Piave, Belluno, Italy. The top of the Priabonian Stage (the base of the Rupelian Stage and Oligocene Series) is at the extinction of foram genus Hantkenina. Sometimes local rock strata cannot be correlated in sufficient detail with the ICS timescale, and stratigraphers often use regional timescales as alternatives to the ICS timescale. The Priabonian overlaps for example the upper Johannian and lowers Aldingan stages of the Australian timescale or the upper Nanzian and lower Refugian stages of the Californian timescale. Other regional stages which are more or less coeval with the Priabonian include the Jacksonian of the southeastern US and Runangan of New Zealand. In biostratigraphy, the Priabonian Stage is coeval with the Chadronian North American Land Mammal Age, the Headonian European Land Mammal Mega Zone (in more detail: with the Mammal Paleogene zones 17A through 20), parts of the Barrancan and Mustersan South American Land Mammal Ages and the Ulangochuian and Ergilian Asian Land Mammal Ages.

References

Literature

Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G.; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press. Munier-Chalmas, E. & de Lapparent, A.; 1893: Note sur la nomenclature des terrains sédimentaires, Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 3(21), p. 479-480. (in French)

External links GeoWhen Database - Priabonian Paleogene timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS Stratigraphic chart of the Paleogene, at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy "Base of the Priabonian Stage at Alano, Italy". timescalefoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2024-03-01. "GSSP Table - Cenozoic Era". Archived from the original on 2023-01-24. "Priabonian". Subcommission on Ordovician Stratigraphy. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Priabonian

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Priabonian claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Priabonian before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Priabonian ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Priabonian

In research: Priabonian appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Priabonian in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Priabonian is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Eocene geochronology, Geological ages, Priabonian, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Priabonian outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Priabonian in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Priabonian means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Priabonian out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Priabonian in simple terms?

The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between 37.71 and 33.9 Ma.

Why does Priabonian matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Priabonian?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Priabonian.