Cenozoic

The Cenozoic (Greek καινός "new" ζῷον "animal" ), also known as the Cenozoic is the era that follows within the Phanerozoic eon on the Mesozoic ( Mesozoic ) and continues today. An outdated name is Neozoikum. The beginning of the Cenozoic era is set in front of about 66 million years after the mass extinction of the Cretaceous period, when the extinct among other things, all ( non-avian ) dinosaurs ( Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary).

The Cenozoic includes the geological evolution of today's Europe and the other continents with the wrinkling of the Alps and the Himalayas ( Alpidic orogeny ) to its present form and the Radiation and development of today's plants and animals, especially mammals ( Mammalia). While the climate at the beginning of this geological era was still very warm, the most recent ice age began about 2.6 million years ago with the ice of the North Pole. The continental glaciation at the South Pole began before 38 million years.

Structure of the Cenozoic

Position of the Cenozoic in the Phanerozoic:

• Eon: Phanerozoic ( 541-0 mya ) Era: Cenozoic ( Cenozoic ) ( 66-0 mya )
• Era: Mesozoic ( Mesozoic ) ( 252.2 to 66 mya )
• Era: Paleozoic ( Palaeozoic ) ( 541 to 252.2 mya )

The Cenozoic is divided into the following systems ( above the youngest, the oldest below ):

• Era: Cenozoic ( 66-0 mya ) System: Quaternary ( 2.588 to 0 mya )
• System: the Neogene ( 23.03 to 2.588 mya )
• System: Paleogene ( 66 to 23.03 mya )

The Cenozoic was formerly divided into two systems: in the Tertiary ( Paleocene with the series, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene ) and Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene ). Since 2004, a classification must be applied in three systems: the Paleogene ( with Paleocene Eocene Oligocene and ) is the oldest period of time, it follows the Neogene ( Miocene with, Pliocene ). The serial organization of the recent system of the Cenozoic era, the Quaternary remained unchanged, but the Gelasian in the Pleistocene is provided as its lowest level since June 2009.

" Tertiary "

Already in 1759 fell to the Italian geologist Giovanni Arduino the little solidified rock formations, which he called montes tertiarii (third mountains ) the existing lime montes secundarii (second mountains ) and the composite of granite, basalt or slate montes primitivi ( original mountains ) faced. From these descriptions, it makes up a ranking in the formation and in old age. The mountains, which originated in the " tertiary " are alpidisch. The term " tertiary " is no longer used since 2004 in the Geological time scale. Similarly, the term " Quaternary " was deleted from the Geological time scale, but reintroduced after heated discussions by the International Stratigraphic Chart 2008.