A geochemical study of a continental section reveals a rapid global warming event (hyperthermal U), occurring ca. 50 Myr ago, only described until now in marine sediment cores. Documenting how the Earth system responded to rapid climatic shifts provides fundamental information to constrain climatic models. Our results suggest that continental deposits can be high-resolution recorders of these warmings. They also give an insight on the climatic conditions occurring during at the time.