Neogene Period is a unit of geologic time consisting of the Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene epochs. The Neogene Period follows the Paleogene Period. The geologic time scale is used by geologists and other scientists to describe the timing and relationships between events that have occurred during the history of the Earth. ... The Miocene epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23 to 5. ... The Pliocene epoch (formerly Pleiocene) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Pleistocene Epoch is part of the geologic timescale. ... The Holocene Epoch is a stupid geologic period that extends from the present back about 10,000 radiocarbon years. ... Paleogene (alternatively Palaeogene) period is a unit of geologic time that began 65 and ended 23 million years ago. ...

In the past, the terms Neogene System and Upper Tertiary System have been used to describe what is currently called the Neogene Period. At that time, the Neogene ended with the beginning of the Quaternary, i.e. stopped at the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ...

At present, there is a movement amongst geologist (particularly Neogene Marine Geologists) to also include ongoing geological time (Quaternary) in the Neogene, while others (particularly Quaternary Terrestrial Geologists) insist the Quaternary to be a separate Period of distinctly different record. The somewhat confusing terminology and disagreement amongst geologist on where to draw what hierarchical boudaries, is due to the comparatively fine granularity of time units as time approaches the present, and due to geological preservation that causes the youngest sedimentary geological record to be preserved over a much larger area and reflecting much more environments, than the slightly older geological record. By dividing the Cenozoic era into two three (arguably two) periods (Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary) instead of 7 epochs, the periods are more closely comparable to the duration of periods in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic eras. The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ... The Cenozoic Era (sometimes still Caenozoic in the United Kingdom) is the most recent of the four classic geological eras. ... Paleogene (alternatively Palaeogene) period is a unit of geologic time that began 65 and ended 23 million years ago. ... The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ...

The Neogene covers roughly 26 million years. During the Neogene mammals and birds evolved considerably. Most other forms were relatively unchanged. Some continental motion took place, the most significant event being the connection of North and South America in the late Pliocene. Climates cooled somewhat over the duration of the Neogene culminating in continental glaciations in the Quaternary Era that follows, and that saw the dawn of Man. Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Orders Many - see section below. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ...