Knowra Cenozoic Cenozoic The current geologic era, beginning about 66 million years ago after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction and continuing to the present. It includes the rise of mammals, modern ecosystems, and humans.
Cenozoic Era : The geologic era from about 66 million years ago to the present, comprising the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary periods. This formal name emphasizes the era’s position within the geologic time scale.
Continental drift : The movement of continents across Earth’s surface over geologic time. Continental rearrangement shaped Cenozoic oceans, mountain belts, and climate.
Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum : A brief, extreme global warming event about 56 million years ago, associated with a rapid release of carbon into the atmosphere and oceans. It captures the Cenozoic’s early climate extremes and carbon-cycle disruption.
Mammal : A vertebrate animal characterized by hair, three middle-ear bones, and milk production by females. Mammals diversified extensively after the extinction that opened the era.
Anthropocene : A proposed geological epoch defined by the substantial influence of human activity on Earth systems. Its proposed status asks whether human impact merits a new epoch after the Holocene.
Paleogene : The geologic period from about 66 to 23 million years ago, when mammals diversified after the end-Cretaceous extinction. It is the first period of the Cenozoic.
Alpine orogeny : The formation of the Alps and related mountain ranges through convergence of the African, Arabian, and Eurasian plates. This mountain-building episode reshaped regions during the Cenozoic.
Eocene : The geologic epoch from about 56 to 34 million years ago, spanning a warm climate and major mammalian diversification. Its warm ecosystems contrast with the later cooling trajectory.
Grassland : An ecosystem dominated by grasses, with few trees and vegetation shaped by climate, grazing, and fire. Cenozoic grassland expansion transformed habitats and favored grazing animals.
International Commission on Stratigraphy : The scientific organization responsible for defining and standardizing global geological time units and their boundaries. Its formal decisions determine how subdivisions of the Cenozoic are recognized.
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