Eras
Paleogene
PAY-lee-oh-jeen
Also Known As Tertiary Historical name for the combined interval now split into the Paleogene and Neogene periods; no longer a formally recognized stratigraphic term.
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The Paleogene is the first period of the Cenozoic Era, spanning about 66 to 23.04 million years ago and comprising the Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene epochs. It opens immediately after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, which ended the age of non-avian dinosaurs and left ecological niches open for surviving vertebrate lineages. Mammals underwent a rapid diversification through the period, evolving from a handful of small, generalized forms into most of the major modern orders. The Paleogene and the following Neogene were formerly grouped together as the Tertiary Period, a term still in informal use though no longer formally recognized.
Facts
Start (Million Years Ago)Standard boundary age from the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart; not independently re-dated by this atlas. End (Million Years Ago)Standard boundary age from the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart; not independently re-dated by this atlas. Key EventMammals underwent a rapid diversification through the period, evolving from a few small, generalized forms into most of the modern varieties seen today, after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event opened ecological niches at the period's start. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Paleogene (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction (K-Pg extinction)Quote, Introduction (K-Pg extinction)
Much of the world's modern vertebrate diversity originated in a rapid surge of diversification in the early Paleogene, as survivors of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event took advantage of empty ecological niches.
1. Paleogene (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction (definition and epochs)Quote, Introduction (definition and epochs)
The Paleogene Period is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 Ma to the beginning of the Neogene Period 23.04 Ma, divided into the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs.
1. Paleogene (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationFlora and fauna (mammal diversification)Quote, Flora and fauna (mammal diversification)
Mammals began a rapid diversification during this period, mammals began to evolve from a few small and generalized forms into most of the modern varieties we see presently.
1. Paleogene (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction (Tertiary term)Quote, Introduction (Tertiary term)
The earlier term Tertiary Period was used to define the time now covered by the Paleogene Period and subsequent Neogene Period; despite no longer being recognized as a formal stratigraphic term, 'Tertiary' still sometimes remains in informal use.
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