The synthesis of Palaeogene deep-sea diatom-bearing sediment occurrences indicates that the deposition of diatom-bearing sediments is mainly controlled by nutrient availability and ocean circulation in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Comparison with shallow marine diatomites suggests that the peak in the number of diatom-bearing sites in the Atlantic is indirectly related to tectonic reorganizations that caused the cessation of shallow marine diatomite deposition between ~46 and ~44 Ma.