Hertfordshire Puddingstone: relationship to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and a perspective on human-induced climate change

This paper considers the significance of the widespread silicified sediments of southern England and northern France that formed at or near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. It has been suggested that this silicification is a result of climate change at the time of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) at c.55 Ma, reflecting the increased solubility of silica at higher temperatures. In the northern London Basin silicified Paleogene conglomerates are known as the Hertfordshire Puddingstone. The formation of this distinctive rock may be constrained to c.55 Ma, using evidence from the outlier at Colliers End, in Hertfordshire, north of London. The origin of this famous rock serves to illustrate the significance of the 55 Ma warming event for current concerns about human-induced climate change.