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... > geologic time scale > geological age > Phanerozoic > Cenozoic > Neogene > Pliocene > Upper Pliocene > Plaisancian

Preferred term

Plaisancian  

Definition

  • The Plaisancian (or Piacenzian) is in the international geologic time scale the upper stage or latest age of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma and 2.588 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). The Plaisancian is after the Zanclean and is followed by the Gelasian (part of the Pleistocene). The Plaisancian is roughly coeval with the European land mammal age MN 16, overlaps the late Chapadmalalan and early Uquian South American land mammal age and falls inside the more extensive Blancan North American land mammal age. Carbon dioxide levels during the Plaisancian were similar to those of today, making this age, with global mean temperature 2–3 °C higher and sea levels about twenty meters higher than today, an important analogue for predictions of the future of our world. The base of the Plaisancian is at the base of magnetic chronozone C2An (the base of the Gauss chronozone) and at the extinction of the planktonic forams Globorotalia margaritae and Pulleniatina primalis. The top of the Plaisancian (the base of the Quaternary System and the Pleistocene Series) is defined magnetostratigraphically as the base of the Matuyama (C2r) chronozone (at the Gauss-Matuyama reversal), and isotopic stage 103. Above this point there are notable extinctions of the calcareous nannofossils: Discoaster pentaradiatus and Discoaster surculus. Climate of the Plaisancian would have started as a somewhat wet and warm period in North America occurring just after a brief cooling period of the Zanclean. (Adapted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piacenzian)

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • Piacenzian

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URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/QX8-R4DB0LQK-3

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