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A geological era that began following the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago and continued until the first [[ice age]] began 2.6 million years ago.

The '''Tertiary''' is a geological era that began following the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago and continued until the first [[ice age]] began 2.6 million years ago. It is preceded by the [[Cretaceous]] and followed by the [[Quaternary]].

The name Tertiary was introduced by Italian geologist Giovanni Arduino in 1760. Arduino categorized sedimentary  deposits into three levels: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. The Primary level was later renamed the Paleozoic (old life) in line with Darwinian views. Arduino's Secondary level is now referred to as the Mesozoic (middle life). As a remnant of pre-Darwinist geology, the Tertiary has provoked fierce opposition in recent years from the International Commission on Stratigraphy and others. However, the U.S. Geological Society continues to recognize the period.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3059/pdf/FS10-3059.pdf Division of Geologic Time -- Major Chronostratigraphic and Geochronological Units], USGS, 2010. "Although the Tertiary is not recognized by many international time scales, the GNC agrees that it is important that it be recognized as a system/period; the map symbols “T” (Tertiary) and “Q” (Quaternary) have been used on geologic maps for more than a century and are widely used today."</ref>

The name Tertiary was introduced by Italian geologist Giovanni Arduino in 1760. Arduino categorized sedimentary  deposits into three levels: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. The Primary level was later renamed the Paleozoic (old life) in line with Darwinian views. Arduino's Secondary level is now referred to as the Mesozoic (middle life). As a remnant of pre-Darwinist geology, the Tertiary has provoked fierce opposition in recent years from the International Commission on Stratigraphy and others. However, the U.S. Geological Society continues to recognize the period.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3059/pdf/FS10-3059.pdf Division of Geologic Time -- Major Chronostratigraphic and Geochronological Units], USGS, 2010. "Although the Tertiary is not recognized by many international time scales, the GNC agrees that it is important that it be recognized as a system/period; the map symbols “T” (Tertiary) and “Q” (Quaternary) have been used on geologic maps for more than a century and are widely used today."</ref>