Earth: Miocene Epoch 255 m'y'a

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Earth Miocene Epoch 25-5 m.y.a

• By Andrew Palmer 04

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What Earth was like in the sea

• In the oceans, modern day currents are
  established.
• Near the end of the period the sea level drops
  and isolates the Mediterranean.
• A cold transantrtic current isolates the waters
  around Antarctica and freezes the place.
• Meanwhile the African tectonic plate was pushing
  into European plate forming the Alps.

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Earth Climate

• In most of the Miosene the climate was mostly
  warm and moderate.
• Snow and ice were rare.
• Towards the end of the period, cool draft formed
  causing a cold draft which lead Antarctica to
  freeze.
• This freezing cased a reverse in the global
  warming affect.

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Miosene Ecosystems

• Grasslands and kelp forests first appeared.
• The appearance of the grasslands caused a drying
  affect in the contents witch caused the global
  climate to warm then cool the

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Animals of the Miosene period

• Fossil findings concluded that mammals were the
  dominant species in the Miosene period.
• Some modern day mammals like gazelles, horses,
  dogs, bears, South American monkeys and the red
  panda are appearing.
• Modern day birds are appearing.

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Riversleigh Killer Kangaroo

• An ancient, Australian Kangaroo
• Was a meat eater that had powerful jaws, could
  hunt animals about its own size.

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Phorusrhacus

• Giant carnivorous birds.
• Native to South America
• About 1.5 maters tall
• Ate smaller animals and scavenged dead animal
  remains.

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Baluchitherium

• Ancient from of Rhinoceros.
• Lived about 20-30 m.y.a
• Was 4ft long and 18ft high to shoulder
• Ate plants
• Fossil remains have only been found in Asia

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Human evolution so far

• Fossils have found a possible ancestor of ours
  called Perolaithecus catalaunicus, which lived
  about 11 to 25 m.y.a.
• It is a relative to the family that will include
  chimpanzees, gorillas and humans.
• Like all great apes, it had strong wrists, a
  stiff lower spine and a short body.
• It evolved in Africa and possibly migrated to
  Spain through the Middle east.

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Other Miocene facts

• The Miocene occurred after the Oligocene epoch
  and before the Pliocene epoch. In the tertiary
  period.
• No Mass extinctions occurred in this epoch.
• Modern day plants have already formed or evolving
  like kelp.

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Sources

• http//www.fossils-facts-finds.com/tertiary_proid.
  html
• http//www.newsientist.com/article.ns?id6691html
• http//wwwelsu.edu/grayfossilsite/Red_Panda/panda_
  small.jsp
• http//www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/tertiary/mio.html
• http//www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/Geologic
  time.html
• http//www.hunlodt.edu/.../Neogene/Neog
  Plates.html
• http//www.lostkingdoms.com/../miocene_early_fact.
  html
• http//www.4to40.com/earth/geography/htm/prehistor
  ic
• http//www.calacademy.org/.../life_time/grind.html
  .html