Cenozoic Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
The Cenozoic is the geological era from 66.00 million years ago to the present. It comprises the Palaeogene, Neogene and Quaternary. Its subdivisions organize geological and climate records; their boundaries are defined stratigraphically, with numerical ages calibrated separately.[ref]
Miocene Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
The Miocene is the older Neogene epoch, approximately to million years ago.[ref] Dating a rock to this interval places it before the Pliocene; interpreting the environment in which it formed additionally requires observations such as sedimentary rock structure, composition and fossils. An age label and an environmental reconstruction answer different questions.
Neogene Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
The Neogene is the geological period from 23.04 to 2.58 million years ago in the consulted chart. It contains the Miocene and Pliocene, between the Palaeogene and Quaternary.[ref]
Palaeogene Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
The Palaeogene is the geological period from 66.00 to 23.04 million years ago in the consulted chart. It contains the Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene, preceding the Neogene within the Cenozoic.[ref]
Pliocene Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
The Pliocene is the younger Neogene epoch, approximately to million years ago.[ref] It is included in the long marine oxygen isotope ratio stack used to compare earlier ocean conditions with those of the Pleistocene. Aligning records makes their temporal patterns comparable; it does not turn one isotope measurement into a unique independent temperature measurement.[ref]