Palaeotemperature curve for the Late Cretaceous of the northwestern circum-Pacific

In the northwestern circum-Pacific, two main trends in Late Cretaceous temp eratures can be recognized. (1) In general, a recurrent warming trend is th ought to have begun in the Turonian-Campanian, reaching temperature maxima in the early Late Santonian and early Late Campanian, and temperature minim a in the earliest Santonian and perhaps early Campanian. (2) During the Maa strichtian, temperatures dropped sharply, with only a slight warming in the early Late Maastrichtian. The existence of a thermal maximum at the Coniac ian-Santonian transition has previously been expected, but is not confirmed by new isotopic results. (C) 1999 Academic Press.