Orbital chronology of Early Eocene hyperthermals from the Contessa Road section, central Italy

High-resolution geochemical analyses of the Lower Eocene Contessa Road section (Italy) reveal orbitally controlled fluctuations in the percent concentration of calcium carbonate (wt.% CaCO3) that include the ETM2 (Elmo) and ETM3 (“X”) hyperthermal events. Patterns of increased dissolution, negative carbon isotope excursions, and warmer global climates are intimately linked to maxima in insolation, through the global carbon cycle. Extraction of short- and long-eccentricity orbital periodicities of the wt.% CaCO3 record provides a relative cyclochronology for the interval ranging from ∼ 52 to ∼ 55.5 Ma. The Contessa Road section is easily accessible and offers a continuous integrated stratigraphic record (stable isotopes, standard calcareous plankton biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and cyclostratigraphy), thus providing a potential type succession for the study of Early Eocene hyperthermals.