Pliocene

Pli·o·cene  (pl-sn)

adj.

Of or belonging to the geologic time, rock series, or sedimentary deposits of the last epoch of the Tertiary Period, characterized by the appearance of distinctly modern animals. See Table at geologic time.

n.

The Pliocene Epoch or its system of deposits.

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[Greek plein, more; see pel-¹ in Indo-European roots + -cene.]

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Pliocene or Pleiocene [ply-oh-seen]

Adjective

Geol of the epoch of geological time about 10 million years ago [Greek pleiōn more + kainos recent]

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Pliocene  (pl-sn)

The fifth and last epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 5 to 2 million years ago. During this time the global climate became cooler and the number and expanse of grasslands and savannas increased greatly. This change in vegetation was accompanied by an increase in long-legged grazers. The land bridge between North America and South America also formed at this time, and massive ice sheets accumulated at the poles. In the later part of the epoch many of the species living in polar regions became extinct. See Chart at geologic time.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Pliocene - from 13 million to 2 million years ago; growth of mountains; cooling of climate; more and larger mammals Pliocene epoch Tertiary, Tertiary period - from 63 million to 2 million years ago