+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Major | Periods and Epochs | Advances in Life |Dominant Life| | Divisions | | | | |-----------|--------------------------|------------------|-------------| | |_HOLOCENE._ |Recent |Rise of world | Age of Man. | | | | alluvial. | civilization. | | | | | | | | | | . . . . . . | . . . . . .|Industry in iron, |Iron, Bronze,| | | | | copper, and | and New | |QUATERNARY.| | | polished stone. | Stone Ages. | | | | | | | | |_PLEISTOCENE,|=Postglacial|=Extinction of | | | | | stage.= | great mammals.= | =Men | | | or | | | of the | | | ICE AGE._ |=Glacial |=Dawn of mind, | Old Stone | | | | stages.= | art, and | Age.= | | | | | industry.= | | |-----------|-------------|------------|------------------|-------------| | |_PLIOCENE._ | |Transformation of | | | | | | man-ape into man.| | | |-------------|Late |------------------| | | |_MIOCENE._ | Tertiary. |Culmination of | | | | | | mammals | AGE OF | | |-------------|------------|------------------| | | |_OLIGOCENE._ | |Beginnings of | MAMMALS | | | | | anthropoid ape | | |TERTIARY. |-------------| | life. | AND | | | | |Appearance of | | | |_EOCENE._ |Early | higher types of | MODERN | | | | Tertiary. | mammals, and | | | | | | vanishing of | PLANT LIFE. | | | | | archaic forms. | | | |-------------| |------------------| | | |_PALÆOCENE._ | |Rise of archaic | | | | | | mammals. | | |-----------|-------------|------------|------------------|-------------| | | | |Extinction of | | | | | | great reptiles. | | | |Cretaceous. |------------|------------------| |