Pliocene epoch
E5179
The Pliocene epoch was a geological time period roughly 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago marked by cooler global climates, the expansion of grasslands, and significant evolutionary developments among mammals and early hominins.
Observed surface forms (6)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Pliocene | 2 |
| Early Pliocene | 1 |
| Late Pliocene | 1 |
| Piacenzian age | 1 |
| Pliocene Epoch | 1 |
| Zanclean age | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
chronostratigraphic unit
ⓘ
geological epoch ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
evolution of Australopithecus in Africa
ⓘ
spread of savanna habitats in Africa ⓘ |
| atmosphericCO2Level | higher than pre-industrial Holocene levels ⓘ |
| biogeographicEvent | Great American Biotic Interchange between North and South America ⓘ |
| boundaryDefinedBy |
base of marine isotope stage 103 at lower boundary
ⓘ
first appearance of the planktonic foraminifer Globorotalia margaritae at base ⓘ |
| chronologyStandardizedBy | International Commission on Stratigraphy ⓘ |
| climateCharacteristic |
generally warmer than present day early in epoch
ⓘ
increasing high-latitude glaciation toward end ⓘ overall global cooling trend ⓘ |
| contains |
Pliocene epoch
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
Piacenzian age
Pliocene epoch self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
Zanclean age
|
| duration | about 2.75 million years ⓘ |
| endTime | about 2.58 million years ago ⓘ |
| faunalCharacteristic |
diversification of grazing mammals
ⓘ
modern-type mammal faunas becoming established ⓘ significant evolution of early hominins ⓘ |
| followedBy | Pleistocene epoch ⓘ |
| follows | Miocene epoch ⓘ |
| geologicTimeScaleRank | epoch ⓘ |
| glaciationCharacteristic |
expansion of Antarctic ice sheet
ⓘ
onset of significant Northern Hemisphere ice sheets near end ⓘ |
| marineLifeCharacteristic |
diversification of marine mammals such as seals and whales
ⓘ
modern-style marine ecosystems largely established ⓘ |
| namedBy | Charles Lyell ⓘ |
| nameMeaning | more recent (from Greek pleion and kainos) ⓘ |
| paleoclimateSignificance | used as partial analog for future warm climates with higher CO2 ⓘ |
| paleogeographyCharacteristic |
continued closure of Central American Seaway
ⓘ
near-complete formation of Isthmus of Panama ⓘ strengthening of Gulf Stream circulation ⓘ |
| partOf |
Cenozoic
ⓘ
surface form:
Neogene period
|
| positionInTimeScale | second and last epoch of the Neogene period ⓘ |
| precedes | Quaternary period ⓘ |
| seaLevelCharacteristic |
falling sea levels toward end of epoch
ⓘ
higher global sea levels than today in early Pliocene ⓘ |
| startTime | about 5.333 million years ago ⓘ |
| subdivisionOf |
Cenozoic
ⓘ
surface form:
Cenozoic era
Phanerozoic Eon ⓘ
surface form:
Phanerozoic eon
|
| tectonicActivityCharacteristic |
continued uplift of the Andes
ⓘ
continued uplift of the East African Rift system ⓘ continued uplift of the Himalayas ⓘ |
| upperBoundaryDefinedBy |
base of marine isotope stage 103 of Pleistocene (Gelasian) in modern timescale alignment
ⓘ
onset of widespread Northern Hemisphere glaciation ⓘ |
| vegetationCharacteristic |
contraction of tropical forests in many regions
ⓘ
expansion of grasslands ⓘ |
Referenced by (8)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Zanclean age
this entity surface form:
Piacenzian age
this entity surface form:
Pliocene
this entity surface form:
Early Pliocene
this entity surface form:
Late Pliocene