Oligocene

The Oligocene epoch is a geologic period of time that extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified, but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene refers to the sparsity of additional modern mammalian faunas after a burst of evolution during the Eocene. The Oligocene follows the Eocene epoch and is followed by the Miocene epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of the Palaeogene period.

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The start of the Oligocene is marked by a major extinction event that may be related to the impact of large extraterrestrial object in Siberia and/or near Chesapeake Bay. The Oligocene-Miocene boundary is not set at an easily identified worldwide event but rather at regional boundaries between the warmer Oligocene and the relatively cooler Miocene.

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Epoch: The word epoch can mean either an interval of time, or a particular point in time used as a reference point....

Period of time: REDIRECT Time...

Evolution: In biology, evolution is the process by which populations of organisms acquire and pass on novel traits from generation to generation, affecting the overall makeup of the population and even leading to the emergence of new species....