Editing Miocene (section)

{{Short description|First epoch of the Neogene Period}}
{{Infobox geologic timespan
| name                         = Miocene
| color                        = Miocene
| time_start                   = 23.03
| time_start_uncertainty       = 0.3
| time_end                     = 5.333
| time_end_uncertainty         = 0.08
| image_map                    = Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 15 Ma (Langhian Age).png
| caption_map                  = A map of Earth as it appeared 15 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch, Langhian Age
| image_outcrop                =
| caption_outcrop              =
| image_art                    =
| caption_art                  =
<!--Chronology-->  
| timeline                     = Neogene
| former_subdivisions          =
| formerly_part_of             =
| partially_contained_in       =
| partially_contains           =
<!--Etymology-->
| name_formality               = Formal
| name_accept_date             =
| alternate_spellings          =
| synonym1                     =
| synonym1_coined              =
| synonym2                     =
| synonym2_coined              =
| synonym3                     =
| synonym3_coined              =
| nicknames                    =
| former_names                 =
| proposed_names               =
<!--Usage Information--> 
| celestial_body               = earth
| usage                        = Global ([[International Commission on Stratigraphy|ICS]])
| timescales_used              = ICS Time Scale
| formerly_used_by             =
| not_used_by                  =
<!--Definition-->
| chrono_unit                  = Epoch
| strat_unit                   = Series
| proposed_by                  =
| timespan_formality           = Formal
| lower_boundary_def           =
* Base of magnetic polarity [[chronozone]] C6Cn.2n
* [[First appearance datum|FAD]] of the [[Foraminifera|Planktonic foraminiferan]] ''[[Paragloborotalia|Paragloborotalia kugleri]]''
| lower_gssp_location          = Lemme-Carrosio Section, [[Carrosio]], [[Italy]]
| lower_gssp_coords            = {{Coord|44.6589|N|8.8364|E|display=inline}}
| lower_gssp_accept_date       = 1996<ref name="Steininger 1997">{{cite journal|last=Steininger|first=Fritz F. |author2=M. P. Aubry |author3=W. A. Berggren |author4=M. Biolzi |author5=A. M. Borsetti |author6=Julie E. Cartlidge |author7=F. Cati |author8=R. Corfield |author9=R. Gelati |author10=S. Iaccarino |author11=C. Napoleone |author12=F. Ottner |author13=F. Rögl |author14=R. Roetzel |author15=S. Spezzaferri |author16=F. Tateo |author17=G. Villa |author18=D. Zevenboom |title=The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Neogene|journal=Episodes|year=1997|volume=20|issue=1|pages=23–28|url=http://www.stratigraphy.org/GSSP/file9.pdf|doi=10.18814/epiiugs/1997/v20i1/005 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
| upper_boundary_def           = Base of the Thvera magnetic event (C3n.4n), which is only 96 ka (5 precession cycles) younger than the GSSP
| upper_gssp_location          = Heraclea Minoa section, [[Heraclea Minoa]], [[Cattolica Eraclea]], [[Sicily]], Italy
| upper_gssp_coords            = {{Coord|37.3917|N|13.2806|E|display=inline}}
| upper_gssp_accept_date       = 2000<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Van Couvering |first1=John |last2=Castradori |first2=Davide |last3=Cita |first3=Maria |last4=Hilgen |first4=Frederik |last5=Rio |first5=Domenico |title=The base of the Zanclean Stage and of the Pliocene Series |journal=Episodes |date=September 2000 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=179–187 |doi=10.18814/epiiugs/2000/v23i3/005 |url=https://stratigraphy.org/gssps/files/zanclean.pdf|doi-access=free }}</ref>
<!--Atmospheric and Climatic Data-->
| o2                           =
| co2                          =
| temp                         =
| sea_level                    =
}}

The '''Miocene''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|aɪ|.|ə|s|iː|n|,_|-|oʊ|-}} {{respell|MY|ə|seen|,_|-|oh|-}}){{refn|{{cite Dictionary.com|Miocene}}}}{{refn|{{cite Merriam-Webster|Miocene}}}} is the first [[epoch (geology)|geological epoch]] of the [[Neogene]] Period and extends from about {{mya|23.03|5.333}} (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist [[Charles Lyell]]; the name comes from the Greek words {{wikt-lang|grc|μείων}} (''{{grc-transl|μείων}}'', "less") and {{wikt-lang|grc|καινός}} (''{{grc-transl|καινός}}'', "new")<ref>See:
*  Letter from [[William Whewell]] to [[Charles Lyell]] dated 31 January 1831 in: {{cite book |editor1-last=Todhunter |editor1-first=Isaac |title=William Whewell, D. D., Master of Trinity College, Cambridge: An account of his writings with selections from his literary and scientific correspondence |date=1876 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan and Co.]] |location=London |volume=2 |page=111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XaMKAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA111}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lyell |first1=Charles |title=Principles of Geology, … |date=1833 |volume=3 |publisher=John Murray |location=London, England |page=54 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044103125555;view=1up;seq=104}} From p. 54:  "The next antecedent tertiary epoch we shall name Miocene, from μειων, minor, and χαινος, recens, a minority only of fossil shells imbedded in the formations of this period, being of recent species."</ref><ref name=OnlineEtDict>{{OEtymD|Miocene |access-date= 2016-01-20}}</ref> and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern [[marine invertebrate]]s than the [[Pliocene]] has.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lyell |first1=Charles |title=Principles of Geology, … |date=1833 |volume=3 |publisher=John Murray |location=London, England |page=54 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044103125555;view=1up;seq=104}}</ref> The Miocene followed the [[Oligocene]] and preceded the Pliocene.

As Earth went from the Oligocene through the Miocene and into the Pliocene, the climate slowly cooled towards a series of [[ice age]]s.<ref name="ReconstructingTerrestrialPalaeoclimates">{{cite journal |last1=Gibson |first1=M. E. |last2=McCoy |first2=J. |last3=O'Keefe |first3=J. M. K. |last4=Otaño |first4=N. B. Nuñez |last5=Warny |first5=S. |last6=Pound |first6=M. J. |title=Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoclimates: A Comparison of the Co-Existence Approach, Bayesian and Probability Reconstruction Techniques Using the UK Neogene |journal=[[Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology]] |date=2022 |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=e2021PA004358 |doi=10.1029/2021PA004358|bibcode=2022PaPa...37.4358G |s2cid=245937316 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="TheFutureOfThePast">{{cite journal |last1=Steinthorsdottir |first1=M. |last2=Coxall |first2=H. K. |last3=Boer |first3=A. M. de |last4=Huber |first4=M. |last5=Barbolini |first5=N. |last6=Bradshaw |first6=C. D. |last7=Burls |first7=N. J. |last8=Feakins |first8=S. J. |last9=Gasson |first9=E. |last10=Henderiks |first10=J. |last11=Holbourn |first11=A. E. |last12=Kiel |first12=S. |last13=Kohn |first13=M. J. |last14=Knorr |first14=G. |last15=Kürschner |first15=W. M. |last16=Lear |first16=C. H. |last17=Liebrand |first17=D. |last18=Lunt |first18=D. J. |last19=Mörs |first19=T. |last20=Pearson |first20=P. N. |last21=Pound |first21=M. J. |last22=Stoll |first22=H. |last23=Strömberg |first23=C. a. E. |title=The Miocene: The Future of the Past |journal=[[Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology]] |date=2021 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=e2020PA004037 |doi=10.1029/2020PA004037|bibcode=2021PaPa...36.4037S |s2cid=234434792 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The Miocene boundaries are not marked by distinct global events but by regionally defined transitions from the warmer Oligocene to the cooler Pliocene Epoch.

During the Early Miocene, Afro-Arabia collided with Eurasia, severing the connection between the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans, and allowing the interchange of fauna between Eurasia and Africa, including the dispersal of [[proboscidea]]ns and [[Ape|hominoids]]<ref>{{Citation |last1=Gilbert |first1=Christopher C. |title=Dispersal of Miocene Hominoids (and Pliopithecoids) from Africa to Eurasia in Light of Changing Tectonics and Climate |date=2020 |work=Biological Consequences of Plate Tectonics |pages=393–412 |editor-last=Prasad |editor-first=Guntupalli V.R. |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-49753-8_17 |access-date=2024-10-04 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-49753-8_17 |isbn=978-3-030-49752-1 |last2=Pugh |first2=Kelsey D. |last3=Fleagle |first3=John G. |editor2-last=Patnaik |editor2-first=Rajeev}}</ref> into Eurasia. During the late Miocene, the connections between the Atlantic and Mediterranean closed, causing the Mediterranean Sea to almost completely evaporate. This event is referred to as the "[[Messinian salinity crisis]]". Then, at the Miocene–Pliocene boundary, the  [[Strait of Gibraltar]] opened, and the Mediterranean refilled. That event is referred to as the "[[Zanclean flood]]".

Also during the [[early Miocene]] (specifically the Aquitanian and Burdigalian Stages), the [[ape]]s first evolved, began diversifying, and became widespread throughout the [[Old World]]. Around the end of this epoch, the [[human evolution|ancestors of humans]] had split away from the ancestors of the [[Pan (genus)|chimpanzee]]s and had begun following their own evolutionary path during the final Messinian Stage (7.5–5.3 Ma) of the Miocene. As in the Oligocene before it, [[grassland]]s continued to expand, and forests to dwindle. In the seas of the Miocene, [[kelp forest]]s made their first appearance and soon became one of Earth's most productive ecosystems.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/history_of_the_earth/Miocene |title=BBC Nature - Miocene epoch videos, news and facts |work=BBC |access-date=2016-11-13}}</ref>

The plants and animals of the Miocene were recognizably modern. Mammals and birds were well established. [[Whale]]s, [[pinniped]]s, and [[kelp]] spread.

The Miocene is of particular interest to geologists and palaeoclimatologists because major phases of the [[geology of the Himalaya]] occurred during that epoch, affecting [[monsoon]]al patterns in Asia, which were interlinked with [[glacial period]]s in the northern hemisphere.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Evolution of Asian monsoons and phased uplift of the Himalaya–Tibetan plateau since Late Miocene times|last1=Zhisheng|first1=An|last2=Kutzbach|first2=John E.|last3=Prell|first3=Warren L.|last4=Porter|first4=Stephen C.|journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|date=3 May 2001|volume=411|issue=6833|pages=62–66|doi=10.1038/35075035|pmid=11333976|bibcode=2001Natur.411...62Z|s2cid=4398615}}</ref>