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Era

Neogene

NEE-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.
Phanerozoic

The Neogene is the second period of the Cenozoic Era, spanning about 23.04 to 2.58 million years ago and comprising the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. Mammals and birds remained the dominant terrestrial vertebrates, diversifying into a wide range of forms across expanding grassland habitats, and the first hominins, the ancestors of humans, appeared near the end of the period. The Neogene and the preceding Paleogene were formerly grouped together as the Tertiary Period, a term still in informal use though no longer formally recognized. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Rank
Period 1
Start (Million Years Ago)
23.04 1
Standard boundary age from the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart; not independently re-dated by this atlas.
End (Million Years Ago)
2.58 1
Standard boundary age from the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart; not independently re-dated by this atlas.
Key Event
The first hominins, the ancestors of humans, appeared near the end of the period, as mammals and birds continued diversifying across expanding grassland habitats. 1
Connections

Anticipated By

Paleogene, Eras

Has Geologic Rank

Geologic Period, Concepts

Precursor To

Quaternary, Eras
Sources
1. Neogene (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Introduction (epochs)
    The Neogene is sub-divided into two epochs, the earlier Miocene and the later Pliocene.
  • Lead section
    The Neogene ( NEE-ə-jeen) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period 23.04 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period 2.58 Ma.
  • Flora and fauna (hominins)
    The first hominins, the ancestors of humans, appeared near the end of the period.
  • Lead section
    The earlier term Tertiary Period was used to define the span of time now covered by Paleogene and Neogene and, despite no longer being recognized as a formal stratigraphic term, "Tertiary" still sometimes remains in informal use.
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