Cenozoic Era

CENOZOIC ERA
 The term Cenozoic, first spelled "Cainozoic," was originally used in an 1840 entry in the Penny
Cyclopedia encyclopedia in an article written by British geologist John Phillips. The name is
derived from the Greek phrase meaning “recent life.”
 The Cenozoic Era, which began about 65 million years ago and continues into the present, is
the third documented era in the history of Earth. The current locations of the continents and their
modern-day inhabitants, including humans, can be traced to this period.
CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
 The global climate of the early portion of the Cenozoic Period was much warmer than it is today,
and the overall climate of the Earth was much more consistent regardless of proximity to the
equator.
 The most significant period of global warming, known as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal
Maximum, took place of 55.8 million years ago. It was followed by a long cool, dry period. The
current global warming event has been set off primarily by human activity.
 Each segment of the Cenozoic experienced different climates. During the Paleogene Period,
most of the Earth’s climate was tropical. The Neogene Period saw a drastic cooling, which
continued into the Pleistocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period.
LIFE DURING THE CENOZOIC ERA
 The Cenozoic Era is also known as the Age of Mammals because the extinction of many groups
of giant mammals, allowing smaller species to thrive and diversify because their predators no
longer existed. Due to the large span of time covered by the period, it is beneficial to discuss the
animal population by the milestone of the era rather than in generalities.
QUATERNARY PERIOD
 is a geologic time period that encompasses the most recent 2.6 million years including the
present day? Part of the Cenozoic Era, the period is usually divided into two epochs first is the
Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from approximately 2 million years ago to about 12,000 years
ago, and the second is Holocene Epoch, which began about 12,000 years ago.
 The Quaternary Period has involved dramatic climate changes, which affected food resources
and brought about the extinction of many species. The period also saw the rise of a new
predator: man.
 Pleistocene Epoch
 The name Pleistocene is the combination of two Greek words: pleistos (meaning
“most”) and kainos (meaning “new” or “recent”). It was first used in 1839 by Sir Charles
Lyell, a British geologist and lawyer.
 The Pleistocene Epoch is typically defined as the time period that began about 2.6
million years ago and lasted until about 11,700 years ago. The most recent Ice Age
occurred then, as glaciers covered huge parts of the planet Earth.
 There have been at least five documented major Ice ages during the 4.6 billion years
since the Earth was formed and most likely many more before humans came on the
scene about 2.3 million years ago.
 The Pleistocene Epoch is the first in which Homo sapiens evolved, and by the end of
the epoch humans could be found in nearly every part of the planet. The Pleistocene
Epoch was the first epoch in the Quaternary Period and the sixth in the Cenozoic Era.
It was followed by the current stage, called the Holocene Epoch.
 Holocene Epoch
 65.5 Million years ago to present day.
 Sometimes called the “Age of the Mammals” due to the largest land animals during
this era has been mammals.
 Beginning of this period was very warm and moist compared to today's climate. Much
of the earth was tropical or sub-tropical. ... By the middle of the tertiary, during the
Oligocene Epoch, the climate began to cool. This cooling trend continued and by the
Pliocene Epoch an ice age had begun.
GEOGRAPHY
• In the tertiary period, the placement of the continents was very different than their positions
today. The oceans included the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic, and the Indian ocean. The continents
were North America, Greenland, Northern Europe, Asia, Iberia.
PLANT LIFE
• Plants thrived all over the Earth during this time period. Many of the plants that grew n this time
period was similar to what we see today.
• There were dense forests, grassland and open woodlands. In the Tertiary period there was lots
of grass for animals to feed on, flowering plants and dense forest. This covered most of the
earth.

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CENOZOIC ERA

CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY

LIFE DURING THE CENOZOIC ERA

 65.5 Million years ago to present day.

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