lateMiocene

The late Miocene is a geological epoch that spans from 11.63 to 5.333 million years ago. It is the second of the two epochs that make up the Miocene. This period saw significant changes in Earth's climate and the evolution of various flora and fauna. The climate during the late Miocene was generally cooler and drier than the early and middle Miocene, contributing to the expansion of grasslands and savannas.

Major faunal groups that thrived during the late Miocene include hominoids, early horses, and proboscideans. The diversification of grasslands led to the evolution of grazing mammals. In terms of human evolution, the late Miocene is a critical period as it witnessed the divergence of the human lineage from other apes. Fossils from this era provide insights into the early stages of bipedalism and the development of more ape-like ancestors transitioning towards hominin characteristics.

Geologically, the late Miocene was marked by ongoing mountain-building processes, such as the uplift of the Himalayas and the Alps, which influenced global climate patterns. Sea levels were generally lower than in previous periods. The boundaries of the late Miocene are defined by paleontological and geochemical markers, with the beginning marked by the Tortonian-Messinian boundary and the end by the Pliocene-Miocene boundary. This epoch concluded with a significant drying trend leading into the Messinian Salinity Crisis, a major event where the Mediterranean Sea dried up.