Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,730,259,602 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Oligocene

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
Ol·i·go·cene  (l-g-sn, l-)
adj.
Of or belonging to the geologic time, rock series, or sedimentary deposits of the third epoch of the Tertiary Period, characterized by futher development of modern mammalian fauna, including the rise of the true carnivores and their gradual replacement of the creodonts. See Table at geologic time.
n.
The Oligocene Epoch or its system of deposits.

Oligocene [ˈɒlɪgəʊˌsiːn ɒˈlɪg-]
adj
(Earth Sciences / Geological Science) of, denoting, or formed in the third epoch of the Tertiary period, which lasted for 10 000 000 years
n
(Earth Sciences / Geological Science) the. the Oligocene epoch or rock series
[oligo- + -cene]

Oligocene  (l-g-sn)
The third epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 37 to 24 million years ago. During this time there was an increase in volcanic activity, and Australia and South America separated from Antarctica. The climate started to cool and a glacier started to form in Antarctica. Modern mammalian groups continued to develop, and the first cats, dogs, horses, and related mammals appeared. Artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) took over from the perissodactyls (uneven-toed ungulates) as the dominant medium-sized herbivores. Many types of grass also first appeared at this time. See Chart at geologic time.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.OligoceneOligocene - from 40 million to 25 million years ago; appearance of sabertoothed cats
Tertiary, Tertiary period - from 63 million to 2 million years ago
Translations
Oligocene [ˈɒlɪgəʊsiːn]
A. ADJoligocénico
B. N the Oligoceneel Oligoceno


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
That you and I exist today must be due to the preparedness of some shaggy anthropoid of the Oligocene.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.