Miocene
Sign in to saveThe Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell and comes from Ancient Greek μείων (meíōn), , and καινός (kainós), , and thus means "less recent", because it has 18% fewer modern marine invertebrates than the Pliocene has. The Miocene followed the Oligocene and preceded the Pliocene.
AI overview
The Miocene is a geological epoch that occurred roughly 23 to 5 million years ago and represents the earliest period of the Neogene, with its name deriving from the Greek words meaning "less recent" because it contains fewer modern marine invertebrates than the later Pliocene epoch. Understanding the Miocene matters because it helps scientists track how life on Earth evolved over time and how marine ecosystems changed between the older Oligocene and the newer Pliocene periods.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Geologic timespan.time_start
- 23.04
- Geologic timespan.time_end
- 5.333
- Geologic timespan.name
- Miocene
- Geologic timespan.color
- Miocene
- Geologic timespan.image_map
- Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 15 Ma (Langhian Age).png
- Geologic timespan.caption_map
- A map of Earth as it appeared 15 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch, Langhian Age
- Geologic timespan.timeline
- Neogene
- Geologic timespan.name_formality
- Formal
- Geologic timespan.celestial_body
- earth
- Geologic timespan.usage
- Global (ICS)
- Geologic timespan.timescales_used
- ICS Time Scale
- Geologic timespan.chrono_unit
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Subdivisions
- Paleogeography
- Eurasia
- South America
- Australia
- Climate
- Life
- Flora
- Fauna
- Oceanic
- Microbiota
- Oceans
- Middle Miocene disruption
- Impact event
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell and comes from Ancient Greek μείων (meíōn), , and καινός (kainós), , and thus means "less recent", because it has 18% fewer modern marine invertebrates than the Pliocene has. The Miocene followed the Oligocene and preceded the Pliocene.
As Earth went from the Oligocene through the Miocene and into the Pliocene, the climate slowly cooled towards a series of ice ages. The Miocene boundaries are not marked by distinct global events but by regionally defined transitions from the warmer Oligocene to the cooler Pliocene Epoch.