Pliocene
Tertiary's final epoch
The Pliocene is a geological epoch spanning roughly 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago, following the Miocene and preceding the Pleistocene.
It marks a period of global cooling when many modern mammal species appeared and early human ancestors began walking upright.
Pliocene fossils reveal a world transitioning toward ice ages.
Losing thermal energy
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- ice agesExtended global cooling epochs
- interglacialEpoch between major freezes
- Milankovitch cyclesOrbital shifts affecting climate
sea level change · paleoclimatology · global cooling · ocean circulation · thermohaline · desertification
Extinct hominin genus
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- homininsHuman evolutionary family members
- marine mammalsWarm-blooded ocean animals
Study of crustal deformation
- Isthmus of PanamaNarrow continental connection point
- land bridgeTerrain joining two continents
- upliftRaise emotionally or physically
- orogenyGeological mountain formation
Himalayas · Andes · rift valleys · volcanism · sediments · strata · paleogeography · East African Rift
Present geological era
- QuaternaryLast 2.6 million years
- geochronologyStudy of geological ages
- boundaryLine marking a limit
- epochDistinct historical period
period · era · stage · subdivision
Human evolutionary family members
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
Ardipithecus · phylogeny · radiation · extinction · biodiversity · endemic species
cooling
Losing thermal energy
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- ice agesExtended global cooling epochs
- interglacialEpoch between major freezes
Milankovitch cycles · sea level change · paleoclimatology · global cooling · ocean circulation · thermohaline · desertification
Australopithecus
Extinct hominin genus
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- homininsHuman evolutionary family members
marine mammals · terror birds · great apes · ungulates · carnivores
tectonics
Study of crustal deformation
- Isthmus of PanamaNarrow continental connection point
- land bridgeTerrain joining two continents
- upliftRaise emotionally or physically
orogeny · Himalayas · Andes · rift valleys · volcanism · sediments · strata · paleogeography · East African Rift · Mediterranean
Cenozoic
Present geological era
- QuaternaryLast 2.6 million years
- geochronologyStudy of geological ages
- boundaryLine marking a limit
epoch · period · era · stage · subdivision
hominins
Human evolutionary family members
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
divergence · Ardipithecus · phylogeny · radiation · extinction · biodiversity · endemic species
PliocenePrecambrian
Earliest geological eon
Archean · Proterozoic · Cambrian · Paleozoic · Ordovician