Pliocene

American  

[plahy-uh-seen] / ˈplaɪ əˌsin /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, occurring from 10 to 2 million years ago, and characterized by increased size and numbers of mammals, by the growth of mountains, and by global climatic cooling.

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noun

1. the Pliocene Epoch or Series.

Pliocene British  

/ ˈplaɪəʊˌsiːn /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the last epoch of the Tertiary period, which lasted for three million years, during which many modern mammals appeared

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noun

1. the Pliocene epoch or rock series

Pliocene Scientific  

/ plī′ə-sēn′ /

1. 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.

2. See Chart at geologic time

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• post-Pliocene
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Pliocene

First recorded in 1825–35; plio- + -cene

Example Sentences

These cores, as wide as a dinner plate, yielded hundreds of samples of ancient air—including the first ever from the Pliocene, which ended about 2.6 million years ago with the start of the ice ages.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 21, 2024

This allowed them to trace the evolution of the ACC since the early Pliocene, when a prolonged cooling of the climate began.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2024

We know from other sites that an extinct bear called Agriotherium did roam Africa during the Pliocene, but not one of the animal fossils these teams have recovered at Laetoli is from a bear.

From Scientific American • Nov. 5, 2022

In the Pliocene epoch, the growth of ice at the poles led to frequent sea level changes and loss of important offshore habitats.

From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2022

Mya truncata appears in Europe in the older Pliocene, and was followed by M. arenaria a little later.

From The Chain of Life in Geological Time A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants by Dawson, Sir J. William