Tertiary Period Facts For Kids: Here's What You Need To Know!
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Geologists and biologists regard many periods that are extremely important to the evolution of life on Earth.
For instance, the Hadean epoch began with the creation of the Earth and was distinguished by the formation of the seas and atmosphere. When Pangaea's huge landmass split up, the Cambrian epoch allowed for a burst of life that contributed to the birth of all current Phyla.
However, the Tertiary Period was possibly the most crucial when it comes to mammals. The Tertiary Period marks the beginning of the Cenozoic Era. However, the term Tertiary Period became obsolete in 2004 when the Paleogene Period and Neogene Period replaced it.
Meaning And Origin Of The Tertiary Period
The geologic time was categorized into only three periods: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Later, a fourth period, Quaternary, was introduced.
The Tertiary Period was an official geologic time period spanning 66 million to 2.6 million years ago, but the term is now obsolete. It was the conventional term for the first of two Cenozoic Era periods. About 2.6 million years ago to the present, the Quaternary Period was the second.
Giovanni Arduino coined the term 'tertiary' in the mid-18th century. During the early stages of the development of the science of geology, scriptural geologists felt that the periods were somehow linked to the Bible Scriptural, the tertiary rocks connected with the Great Flood.
In 1828, Charles Lyell included the Tertiary Period in his own, far more complex categorization scheme. He classified the Tertiary Period into four epochs based on the proportion of fossil mollusks that resemble extant species discovered in those layers. The Greek designations he employed were Eocene, Miocene, Older Pliocene, and Newer Pliocene.
Species That Lived During The Tertiary Period
The end of the Mesozoic Era represented a significant milestone in Earth's biological history.
A significant extinction event occurred, resulting in the disappearance of roughly 80% of marine and terrestrial animal species. Plantlife was also harmed, albeit to a far lesser level.
It is assumed that one or more comet or meteorite strikes near Chicxulub, Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula, caused this global extinction event.
However, other experts believe that large volcanic eruptions of the Deccan Traps in India might also have played a role. Within a few hundred thousand to several million years, this decline was followed by a gradual rebound and adaptive radiation, or rapid diversification, into new life-forms.
Several organism groups, like insects, blooming plants, and marine snails, saw exceptionally fast diversification following the Mesozoic, and life towards the end of the Tertiary was more diversified than it had ever been. Life on land included flowering plants and grasses, and the late Paleocene Epoch only saw them.
Simple grasslands that lacked the intricate structural organization of sod emerged in the Eocene epoch, whereas short grasslands with sod appeared during the beginning of the Miocene epoch. The Miocene also witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of grazing animals on numerous continents.
The species of birds rose dramatically in the Tertiary and throughout the Cenozoic, with distinct groupings diversifying at various times and locations. The warm climate at the start of this period supported thick jungles and woods, but as the climate cooled, different plants were able to sprout and spread widely.
There was also a rise in mammals. Mammals filled the ecological niches left by dinosaurs when the dinosaurs were no more.
Beginning And End Of The Tertiary Period
The Tertiary Period ended 2.6 million years ago and began 66 million years ago.
At the start of the Cenozoic Era, this geologic time period began with the demise of non-avian dinosaurs during the Cretaceous–Paleogene period and continued until the end of the Pliocene Epoch, when the Quaternary glaciation began.
The separation of Gondwana and the clash of the Indian plate and Eurasian plate resulted from an increase in tectonic activity that had been present since earlier epochs.
This caused the formation of the Himalayas, the final development of Australia, the severance of South America from West Africa and its link with North America, and Anatatrica's present position under the South Pole.
In terms of climate, the period began with chilly temperatures, then transitioned to tropical to moderate global temperatures until the first large glaciers formed at the start of the Quaternary. An Ice Age and Land Bridges signified the end of the Tertiary Period.
Its cooling atmosphere resulted in tremendous glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere. The world's mountains, including the freshly created Himalayas and the Alps, were also covered with glaciers.
Climate And Earth Conditions During The Tertiary Period
The Tertiary Period environment at the start was particularly humid and damp due to high sea levels compared to today's environment.
The majority of the Earth's surface was tropical or subtropical. Plant trees might be found as far north as the Grasslands. By the middle of the tertiary, or during the Oligocene period, the climate had begun to cool. The temperature continues to drop, and by the Pliocene epoch, ice has formed.
FAQs
Q: What animals lived in the Tertiary Period?
A: Over 20 mammal orders gradually developed by the early Eocene, and at the end of the Paleocene, some important animals appeared like primitive horses, rhinoceroses, tapirs, camels, deer, rodents, rabbits, and bats. There were grazing animals present too.
Q: How did the Tertiary Period begin?
A: The Tertiary Period started with the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs during the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction just as the Cenozoic Era started and continued until the end of the Pliocene Epoch.
Q: What are the characteristics of life during the Tertiary Period?
A: In ascending sequence, it is separated into the Palaeocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene epochs. The Tertiary Period saw the emergence of modern animals and the evolution of shrubs, grasses, and other flowering plants.
Q: How long did the tertiary Period last?
A: The Tertiary Period began 66 million years ago and lasted 2.6 million years ago.
Q: What was alive during the Tertiary Period?
A: During the Eocene epoch, the earliest recognizable life form was bats, elephants, and monkeys.
Q: Why was the Tertiary Period important?
A: Many massive geological, ecological, and climatological events occurred during this time, including the present continent configuration, global temperature decreasing, and the development of dominating animals and mammals.
Q: What ended the Tertiary Period?
A: An Ice Age and Land Bridges mark the end of the Tertiary Period.
Q: What fossils were in the Tertiary Period?
A: Fossils of birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians were there.
Q: What is a Tertiary basin?
A: Tertiary strata originated in marine and continental environments, with clayey and sandy sediment and uncommon limestone prevalence. As a result of extensional tectonics, the formation of a sequence of sedimentary basins was typical during the Tertiary.
Q: Why were there so many kinds of mammals found at the beginning of the Tertiary?
A: Many mammals were found because of the loss of reptiles as the dominant animals at the end of the Cretaceous Period.
Q: Who named the geological periods?
A: The geological periods are named by the International Stratigraphic Commission.
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