Cenozoic
66 Ma – present
The Cenozoic — the last 66 million years — is the age of mammals and the world we recognize today. Continents drifted to near their modern positions, grasslands spread, the climate cooled into recurring ice ages, and humans evolved.
View the Cenozoic on the globe →
Highlights
- Rapid diversification of mammals and birds
- Uplift of the Himalayas and the Alps
- Cooling climate and the Pleistocene ice ages
- The origin and spread of humans
Periods of the Cenozoic
- Paleogene — 66 Ma – 23.03 Ma
- Neogene — 23.03 Ma – 2.58 Ma
- Quaternary — 2.58 Ma – present