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. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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Start (Million Years Ago) End (Million Years Ago) Key EventModern humans emerged approximately 315,000 years ago during this period. 1 Quaternary
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1. Quaternary (Wikipedia)
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The current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy
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These mammals became extinct when the glacial period ended about 11,700 years ago. Modern humans evolved about 315,000 years ago.
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