Paleogene Period

Paleogene Period

also spelled  Palaeogene Period 
 older of the two stratigraphic divisions of the Cenozoic Era spanning the interval between 65.5 million and 23 million years ago. Paleogene is Greek meaning “ancient-born” and includes the Paleocene (Paleocene Epoch) (Palaeocene) Epoch (65.5 million to 55.8 million years ago), the Eocene (Eocene Epoch) Epoch (55.8 million to 33.9 million years ago), and the Oligocene Epoch (33.9 million to 23 million years ago). The term Paleogene was devised in Europe to emphasize the similarity of marine fossils found in rocks of the first three Cenozoic epochs, as opposed to the later fossils of the Neogene Period (23 million years ago to the present). In North America, the Cenozoic has traditionally been divided only into the Tertiary Period (65.5 million to 2.6 million years ago) and the Quaternary Period (Quaternary) (2.6 million years ago to the present), but the designations Paleogene and Neogene are gaining more widespread usage.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Paleogene — Geological period from=65 middle=45 to=23 o2=26 co2=500 temp=18The Paleogene (alternatively Palaeogene) is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic… …   Wikipedia

  • Paleogene — /pay lee euh jeen /; esp. Brit. /pal ee /, Geol. adj. 1. noting or pertaining to the earlier part of the Cenozoic Era, in the system adopted by some geologists, occurring from 65 to 25 million years ago and including the Oligocene, Eocene, and… …   Universalium

  • Paleogene — 1. adjective Of a geologic period within the Cenozoic era; comprises the Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene epochs from about 65 to 23 million years ago. 2. noun The Paleogene period …   Wiktionary

  • Paleogene — [pā′lē ə jēn΄] adj. [sometimes p ] designating or of the first geologic subdivision of the Tertiary Period, subdivided into the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs designating or of the first geologic subdivision of the Tertiary Period,… …   English World dictionary

  • Paleogene — n. Geological period (includes the Oligocene, Eocene, and Paleocene epochs), early Tertiary period …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Tertiary Period — Interval of geologic time, 65–1. 8 million years ago. It constitutes the first of the two periods of the Cenozoic Era, the second being the Quaternary. The Tertiary has five subdivisions: (from oldest to youngest) the Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene …   Universalium

  • Cretaceous Period — Interval of geologic time from с 144 to 65 million years ago. During the Cretaceous the climate was warmer than today. In the seas, marine invertebrates flourished, and bony fishes evolved. On land, flowering plants arose, and insects, bees in… …   Universalium

  • Neogene Period — ▪ geology  latest of the two major divisions of the Cenozoic Era. The Neogene Period encompasses the most recent 23 million years and includes the Miocene (Miocene Epoch) (23 million to 5.3 million years ago), Pliocene (Pliocene Epoch) (5.3… …   Universalium

  • Mammal Paleogene zone — The Mammal Paleogene zones or MP zones are biostratigraphic zones in the stratigraphic record of the Paleogene period of Europe. These zones were developed by Matthijs Freudenthal to help paleontologists provide more specific reference points to… …   Wikipedia

  • Neogene — Period 23.03–2.588 million years ago …   Wikipedia

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