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Miocene

Also known as Miocene Epoch, Miocene Series

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.

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: Epoch
Geologic timespan.strat_unit: Series
Geologic timespan.timespan_formality: Formal
Geologic timespan.lower_boundary_def: Base of magnetic polarity chronozone C6Cn.2n FAD of the Planktonic foraminiferan Paragloborotalia kugleri
Geologic timespan.lower_gssp_location: Lemme-Carrosio Section, Carrosio, Italy
Geologic timespan.lower_gssp_accept_date: 1996
Geologic timespan.upper_boundary_def: Base of the Thvera magnetic event (C3n.4n), which is only 96 ka (5 precession cycles) younger than the GSSP

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Dromornis BW.jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Miocene
start time: 23030000-0
end time: 5333000-00
sRGB color hex triplet: FFFF00

Sources (4)

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~29 min read

Article

18 sections

Contents

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

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.