| Quaternary (current) Period |
| |
| |
|
Holocene |
0.01 to today |
Glaciers recede. Sea level rises. Climate becomes more equable. |
As now |
Forests flourish again. Humans acquire agriculture and technology. |
|
Pleistocene |
2.0 - 0.01 |
Widespread glaciers melt periodically causing seas to rise and fall. |
As now |
Many plant forms perish. Small mammals abundant. Primitive humans established. |
| |
| Tertiary Period |
| |
| |
|
Pliocene |
5.1 - 2.0 |
Continents and oceans adopting their present form. Present climatic distribution established. Ice caps develop. |
Giant sharks extinct. Many fish varieties. |
Some plants and mammals die out. Primates flourish.. |
|
Miocene |
24.6 - 5.1 |
Seas recede further. European and Asian land masses join. Heavy rain causes massive erosion. Red Sea opens. |
Bony fish common. Giant sharks. |
Grasses widespread. Grazing mammals become common. |
|
Oligocene |
38.0 - 24.6 |
Seas recede. Extensive movements of Earth's crust produce new mountains (e.g. Alpine-Himalayan chain). |
Crabs, mussels, and snails evolve. |
Forests diminish. Grasses appear. Pachyderms, canines, and felines develop. |
|
Eocene |
54.9 - 38.0 |
Mountain formation continues. Glaciers common in high mountain ranges. Greenland separates. Australia separates. |
Whales adapt to sea. |
Large tropical jungles. Primitive forms of modern mammals established. |
|
Paleocene |
65.0 - 54.9 |
Widespread subsidence of land. Seas advance again. Considerable volcanic activity. Europe and Madeira emerges. |
Many reptiles become extinct. |
Flowering plants established. Dinosaurs become extinct. |
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