Cenozoic
The fourth geological era, the Cenozoic, began 65 million years ago and continues to the present day.
The Cenozoic, covering the past 65 million years of Earth’s history, is characterized by the dominance of mammals, birds, and flowering plants, a cooler and drier climate, and the current configuration of the continents. This era is also known as the Age of Mammals. Climate during the early Cenozoic was warmer than today, particularly during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. However, the transition from the Eocene to the Oligocene and the Quaternary glaciations caused the Earth to become cooler and drier.
The Cenozoic is divided into three periods: the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary. The Paleogene itself is subdivided into the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene, while the Neogene consists of the Miocene and Pliocene. The Quaternary includes the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs.
