Miocene

[ mahy-uh-seen ]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, occurring from 25 to 10 million years ago, when grazing mammals became widespread.

noun

1. the Miocene Epoch or Series.

Miocene

/ ˈmaɪəˌsiːn /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the fourth epoch of the Tertiary period, between the Oligocene and Pliocene epochs, which lasted for 19 million years

noun

1. the Miocene
   this epoch or rock series

Miocene

/ mī′ə-sēn′ /

1. The fourth epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 24 to 5 million years ago. During this time the climate was warmer than it had been in the Oligocene, and kelp forests and grasslands first developed. With the isolation of Antarctica, a circumpolar ocean current was established in the southern Hemisphere, reducing the amount of mixing of cold polar water and warm equatorial water and causing a buildup of ice sheets in Antarctica. The African-Arabian plate became connected to Asia, closing the seaway which had previously separated Africa from Asia. Mammalian diversity was at its peak.
2. See Chart at geologic time

Other Words From

• post-Mio·cene adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Miocene¹

First recorded in 1825–35; mio- (from Greek meíōn “less”) + -cene

Word History and Origins

Origin of Miocene¹

C19: from Greek meiōn less + -cene

Example Sentences

The fossils dating to the Miocene were encased in a type of fossilized algae called diatomite.

From Los Angeles Times

Nineteen million years ago, during a time known as the early Miocene, massive ice sheets in Antarctica rapidly and repeatedly grew and receded.

From Science Daily

The work is described by the editors as fundamental to our understanding of how the elongated lower jaw and long trunks evolved in these animals during the Miocene epoch, around 11-20 million years ago.

From Science Daily

They found that Pierolapithecus shares similarities in overall face shape and size with both fossilized and living great apes, but it also has distinct facial features not found in other Middle Miocene apes.

From Science Daily

Landscape evolution simulations demonstrated that expansion of the Yangtze watershed since the Late Miocene could be responsible for 1 to 2 kilometers of fluvial incision.

From Science Daily