Tertiary Period: Understanding the Paleogene & Neogene Eras

Tertiary, also known as the Paleogene and Neogene periods, is the geological period that spans from 66 million years ago to 2.6 million years ago. It is the third and longest period of the Cenozoic Era, and it is often divided into two epochs, the Paleogene and the Neogene.

The Paleogene

The Paleogene is the older of the two Tertiary epochs, and it lasted from 66 million years ago to 23 million years ago. The Paleogene is characterized by the rise of mammals and the extinction of dinosaurs. At the beginning of the Paleogene, the Earth was still recovering from the mass extinction event that had wiped out the dinosaurs. However, over the course of the Paleogene, mammals quickly diversified and evolved to fill the empty ecological niches that had been left by dinosaurs.

The Neogene

The Neogene is the younger of the two Tertiary epochs, and it lasted from 23 million years ago to 2.6 million years ago. The Neogene is characterized by the continued rise of mammals and the emergence of humans. During the Neogene, the Earth's climate became cooler and drier, which led to the spread of grasslands and the decline of forests. This change in climate also favored the evolution of larger and more complex mammals.

The Significance of the Tertiary

The Tertiary is an important period in the Earth's history, as it saw the rise of mammals, the extinction of dinosaurs, and the emergence of humans. The Tertiary also saw the formation of many of the world's current mountain ranges, oceans, and deserts.