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Miocene epoch

Miocene Epoch

World of Earth Science | 2003 | Copyright

Miocene Epoch

Notable in the development of primates and human evolution , are fossilized remains of Ardipithecus ramidus, perhaps one of the earliest identifiable ancestors of man. Fossilized remains found in Ethiopia date to approximately six million years ago, near the end of the Miocene Epoch. Importantly, the fossilized bones found provide evidence that Ardipithecus ramidus could walk upright. Anthropologists assert that the ancestral line between apes and humans diverged six to eight million years ago from a common ancestor that lived during the Miocene Epoch.

In geologic time , the Miocene Epoch occurs during the Tertiary Period (65 million years ago to 2.6 million years ago—and is also sometimes divided or referred to in terms of a Paleogene Period from 65 million years ago to 23 million years ago) and a Neogene Period (23 million years ago to 2.6 million years ago) instead of a singular Tertiary Period—of the Cenozoic Era of the Phanerozoic Eon . The Miocene Epoch is the fourth epoch in the Tertiary Period (in the alternative, the earliest epoch in the Neogene Period).

The Miocene Epoch ranges from approximately 23 million years ago (mya) to 5 mya. The Miocene Epoch was preceded by the Oligocene Epoch and was followed by the Pliocene Epoch .

The Miocene Epoch is further subdivided into (from earliest to most recent) Aquitanian (23 mya to 21 mya), Burdigalian (21 mya to 16 mya), Langhian (16 mya to 14 mya), Serravallian (14 mya to 10 mya), Tortonian (10 mya to 7 mya), and Messinian (7 mya to 5 mya) stages.

Craters dating to the end of the Oligocene Epoch and start of the Miocene Epoch can be studied in Northwest Canada and in Logancha, Russia. Smaller impact craters dating to the end of the middle of the Miocene Epoch are evident in Russia and Germany.

Other notable finds in the fossil record that date to the Miocene Epoch include evidence of the continued extensive development of grasslands initiated during the preceding Eocene and Oligocene Epochs. The grassland development offered a chance for grazing animals to become well established. Many of the modern migratory patterns date to the Miocene Epoch. The fusion of the Arabian plate to the Eurasian plate provided a land bridge from Africa to Asia allowing migration of species and mixing of genetic traits among reproductively compatible sub-species.

The paleobotanical record provides evidence that kelp forests also became well developed during the Miocene Epoch as the climate cyclically warmed and cooled, but more generally became less humid.

See also Archean; Cambrian Period; Cretaceous Period; Dating methods; Devonian Period; Evolution; Evolution, evidence of; Evolutionary mechanisms; Fossils and fossilization; Historical geology; Holocene Epoch; Jurassic Period; Mesozoic Era; Miocene Epoch; Mississippian Period; Ordovician Period; Paleocene Epoch; Paleozoic Era; Pennsylvanian Period; Pleistocene Epoch; Precambrian; Proterozoic Eon; Quaternary Period; Silurian Period; Triassic Period
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Miocene

A Dictionary of Biology | 2004 | Copyright

Miocene The fourth epoch of the Tertiary period, stretching from the end of the Oligocene, about 24 million years ago, to the start of the Pliocene, roughly 5 million years ago. It saw the radiation of several modern mammal groups, including the ruminants (deer, cattle, and antelopes), certain rodents (beavers, porcupines, and cavies) and the apes. Cooling of the climate during the Oligocene resulted in a continuing shift to deciduous hardwood species, such as oak and maple, at the expense of conifers during the Miocene.
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Miocene

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | | Copyright

Miocene Fourth of the five epochs of the Tertiary Period, extending from the end of the Oligocene, 23.3 Ma ago, to the beginning of the Pliocene, 5.2 Ma ago. Many mammals with a more modern appearance evolved during this epoch, including deer, pigs, and several elephant stocks. The Miocene comprises the Aquitanian, Burdigalian, Early and Late Langhian, Serravallian, Tortonian, and Messinian Ages.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Miocene.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Miocene.html

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Miocene

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

Mi·o·cene / ˈmīəˌsēn/ • adj. Geol. of, relating to, or denoting the fourth epoch of the Tertiary period, between the Oligocene and Pliocene epochs. ∎  [as n.] (the Miocene) the Miocene epoch or the system of rocks deposited during it.

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"Miocene." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Miocene

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Miocene of, relating to, or denoting the fourth epoch of the Tertiary period, between the Oligocene and Pliocene epochs. This epoch lasted from 23.3 to 5.2 million years ago. During this time the Alps and Himalayas were being formed and there was diversification of the primates, including the first apes.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Miocene." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Miocene." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Miocene.html

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Miocene

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

Miocene The fourth of the five epochs of the Tertiary Period, about 23–5.3 Ma ago, extending from the end of the Oligocene to the beginning of the Pliocene. Many mammals with a more modern appearance evolved during this epoch, including deer, pigs, and several elephant stocks.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Miocene.html

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Miocene

A Dictionary of Ecology | 2004 | | Copyright

Miocene The fourth of the five epochs of the Tertiary Period, extending from the end of the Oligocene, 23.3 Ma ago, to the beginning of the Pliocene, 5.2 Ma ago. Many mammals with a more modern appearance evolved during this epoch, including deer, pigs, and several elephant stocks.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Miocene." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-Miocene.html

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Miocene

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Miocene Geological epoch beginning c.5 million years ago and ending c.5 million years ago. It falls in the middle of the Tertiary period, and is marked by a global increase in grasslands at the expense of forests and the development of most of the modern mammal groups.
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Miocene

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | | Copyright

Miocene The fourth of the 5 epochs of the Tertiary Period, about 24.6–5.1 Ma ago, extending from the end of the Oligocene to the beginning of the Pliocene.
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miocene

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

miocene see EOCENE.
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T. F. HOAD. "miocene." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Miocene

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Miocene •gamine • bromine • thiamine •dopamine • amphetamine • histamine •quinine • strychnine • mezzanine •spalpeen • Philippine • lycopene •gangrene • terrene • silkscreen •windscreen • citrine • Dexedrine •putting green • Benzedrine •Irene, polystyrene •widescreen • sight screen •chlorine, chorine, Doreen, Maureen, Noreen, taurine •smokescreen • rood screen •sunscreen • fluorine • helleborine •Gadarene • Hippocrene •glycerine (US glycerin), nitroglycerine (US nitroglycerin) •nectarine • wintergreen • Methedrine •evergreen • wolverine • vaccine •glassine • Essene • Rexine • piscine •epicene • glycine • pyroxene •Palaeocene (US Paleocene) •Pliocene • Miocene • Holocene •damascene • kerosene • Plasticine •Pleistocene

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