Earth and Environment Atlas

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Eras

Quaternary

Phanerozoic

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The current and most recent of the Cenozoic era's three periods, spanning the last 2.58 million years to the present. It is defined by the Quaternary glaciation, the cyclic growth and decay of continental ice sheets tied to Milankovitch orbital cycles, and it is the period during which recognizably modern humans evolved and spread across the planet.

Facts
Rank
Period 1
Start (Million Years Ago)
2.58 1
End (Million Years Ago)
0 1
Key Event
Modern humans emerged approximately 315,000 years ago during this period. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Anticipated By

Neogene, Eras

Encompasses

Holocene, Eras
Pleistocene, Eras

In Discipline

Geochronology, Disciplines

Part Of

Cenozoic, Eras
Sources
1. Quaternary (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Quote, Lead section
The current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy
View the Source
1. Quaternary (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHuman evolution section
Quote, Human evolution section
Modern humans emerged approximately 315,000 years ago during this period.
View the Source
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