The Miocene (/ ˈ m aɪ ə ˌ s iː n, ˈ m aɪ oʊ-/ MY-ə-seen, MY-oh-) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; its name comes from the Greek words μείων (meiōn, "less") and καινός (kainos, "new") and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the ...

The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, being the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently estimated to span the time between 2.580 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago) and 0.773 ± 0.005 Ma. The term Early Pleistocene applies to both the Gelasian Age …