Piacenzian

System	Series	Stage	Age (Ma)
Quaternary	Pleistocene	Gelasian	younger
Neogene	Pliocene	Piacenzian	2.588–3.600
	Pliocene	Zanclean	3.600–5.332
	Miocene	Messinian	5.332–7.246
		Tortonian	7.246–11.608
		Serravallian	11.608–13.65
		Langhian	13.65–15.97
		Burdigalian	15.97–20.43
		Aquitanian	20.43–23.03
Paleogene	Oligocene	Chattian	older
Subdivision of the Neogene Period according to the IUGS, as of July 2009.

The Piacenzian is in the international geologic timescale 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 Piacenzian is on top of the Zanclean and is followed by the Gelasian (part of the Pleistocene).

The Piacenzian is roughly coeval with the European Land Mammal Mega Zone MN 16, overlaps the late Chapadmalalan and early Uquian South American Land Mammal Ages, and falls inside the more extensive Blancan North American Land Mammal Age. It also correlates with regional stages like the Astian, Redonian, Waltonian (England), Reuverian (Netherlands) or Romanian (Central Europe).

1 Definition
2 Climate
3 References

Definition

The Piacenzian was introduced in scientific literature by Swiss stratigrapher Karl Mayer-Eymar in 1858. It is named after the Italian city of Piacenza.

The base of the Piacenzian 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 GSSP for the Piacenzian stage is at Punta Piccola on Sicily, Italy.^[1]

The top of the Piacenzian (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.^[2]

Climate

Climate of the Piacenzian would have started as a somewhat wet and warm period in North America occurring just after a brief cooling period of the Zanclean. Deposition of sediments and mollusks of the Piacenzian correspond with the rise in sea level creating the Tamiami Subsea and Jackson Subsea of Florida, Duplin Subsea generally of South Carolina, and Yorktown Subsea of the Outer Banks and inland North Carolina. Dates have been established on the basis of the genera and species of mollusks found.^[3]

References

Notes

^ Castradori et al. (1998)
^ Gadstein et al. (2005), p. 28; Rio et al. (1998)
^ Petuch, Edward J., Ph.D. Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geodsciences. Cenozoic Seas: The View From Eastern North America. CRC Press, Dec. 29, 2003. ISBN 0849316324.

Literature

Castradori, D.; Rio, D.; Hilgen, F.J. & Lourens, L.J.; (1998) "The Global Standard Stratotype section and Point (GSSP) of the Piacenzian Stage (Middle Pliocene)" Episodes 21(2): pp 88-93.
Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G. (eds.) (2005) A Geologic Time Scale 2004 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, ISBN 0-521-78142-6.
Rio, D., R. Sprovieri, D. Castradori, and E. Di Stefano (1998) "The Gelasian Stage (Upper Pliocene): A new unit of the global standard chronostratigraphic scale" Episodes 21(2): 82-87.
Thompson, R. S. and Fleming, R. F. (1996) "Middle Pliocene vegetation: reconstructions, paleoclimatic inferences, and boundary conditions for climate modeling" Marine Micropaleontology 27(1): pp. 27-49

External links

GeoWhen Database - Piacenzian
Neogene timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
Neogene timescale at the website of the Norwegian network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy

Neogene Period
Miocene	Pliocene
Aquitanian \| Burdigalian Langhian \| Serravallian Tortonian \| Messinian	Zanclean \| Piacenzian

Geologic history of Earth

Precambrian (4.57 Gya – 542 Mya)

In left column are eons; right column: bold are eras; not bold are periods:

Hadean (4.57 – 4 Gya)	(informal)

Archean (4 – 2.5 Gya)	Eoarchean (4 – 3.6 Gya) Paleoarchean (3.6 – 3.2 Gya) Mesoarchean (3.2 – 2.8 Gya) Neoarchean (2.8 – 2.5 Gya)

Proterozoic (2.5 Gya – 542 Mya)	Paleoproterozoic (2.5 – 1.6 Gya): Siderian (2.5 – 2.3 Gya) · Rhyacian (2.3 – 2.05 Gya) · Orosirian (2.05 – 1.8 Gya) · Statherian (1.8 – 1.6 Gya) Mesoproterozoic (1.6 – 1 Gya): Calymmian (1.6 – 1.4 Gya) · Ectasian (1.4 – 1.2 Gya) · Stenian (1.2 – 1 Gya) Neoproterozoic (1 Gya – 542 Mya): Tonian (1 Gya – 850 Mya) · Cryogenian (850 – 635 Mya) · Ediacaran (635 – 542 Mya)

Mya = millions years ago. Gya = billions years ago.

Phanerozoic (542 – 0 Mya)

In horizontal bars are eras; in left column are periods; right column: bold are epochs; not bold not italic are ages; italic are chrons:

Paleozoic (542 – 251 Mya)

Cambrian (542 – 488.3 Mya)	Terreneuvian (542 – 521 Mya) (de): Fortunian (542 – 528 Mya) (de) · Age 2* (528 – 521 Mya) *Epoch 2 (521 – 510 Mya)*: Age 3 (521 – 515 Mya) · Age 4* (515 – 510 Mya) *Epoch 3 (510 – 499 Mya)*: Age 5 (510 – 506.5 Mya) · Drumian (506.5 – 503 Mya) (de) · Guzhangian (503 – 499 Mya) (de) Furongian (499 – 488.3 Mya): Paibian (499 – 496 Mya) · Jiangshanian (496 – 492 Mya) (de) · Age 10* (492 – 488.3 Mya)

Ordovician (488.3 – 443.7 Mya)	Early Ordovician (488.3 – 471.8 Mya): Tremadocian (488.3 – 478.6 Mya) · Floian (478.6 – 471.8 Mya) Middle Ordovician (471.8 – 460.9 Mya): Dapingian (471.8 – 468.1 Mya) · Darriwilian (468.1 – 460.9 Mya) Late Ordovician (460.9 – 443.7 Mya): Sandbian (460.9 – 455.8 Mya) · Katian (455.8 – 445.6 Mya) · Hirnantian (445.6 – 443.7 Mya)

Silurian (443.7 – 416 Mya)	Llandovery (443.7 – 428.2 Mya): Rhuddanian (443.7 – 439 Mya) · Aeronian (439 – 436 Mya) · Telychian (436 – 428.2 Mya) Wenlock (428.2 – 422.9 Mya): Sheinwoodian (428.2 – 426.2 Mya) · Homerian (426.2 – 422.9 Mya) Ludlow (422.9 – 418.7 Mya): Gorstian (422.9 – 421.3 Mya) · Ludfordian (421.3 – 418.7 Mya) Pridoli (418.7 – 416 Mya)

Devonian (416 – 359.2 Mya)	Early Devonian (416 – 397.5 Mya): Lochkovian (416 – 411.2 Mya) · Pragian (411.2 – 407 Mya) · Emsian (407 – 397.5 Mya) Middle Devonian (397.5 – 385.3 Mya): Eifelian (397.5 – 391.8 Mya) · Givetian (391.8 – 385.3 Mya) Late Devonian (385.3 – 359.2 Mya): Frasnian (385.3 – 374.5 Mya) · Famennian (374.5 – 359.2 Mya)

Carboniferous (359.2 – 299 Mya)	Mississippian (359.2 – 318.1 Mya): Tournaisian / Early Mississippian (359.2 – 345.3 Mya) · Viséan / Middle Mississippian (345.3 – 328.3 Mya) · Serpukhovian / Late Mississippian (328.3 – 318.1 Mya) Pennsylvanian (318.1 – 299 Mya): Bashkirian / Early Pennsylvanian (318.1 – 311.7 Mya) · Moscovian / Middle Pennsylvanian (311.7 – 307.2 Mya) · Late Pennsylvanian (307.2 – 299 Mya): Kasimovian (307.2 – 303.4 Mya) · Gzhelian (303.4 – 299 Mya)

Permian (299 – 251 Mya)	Cisuralian (299 – 270.6 Mya): Asselian (299 – 294.6 Mya) · Sakmarian (294.6 – 284.4 Mya) · Artinskian (284.4 – 275.6 Mya) · Kungurian (275.6 – 270.6 Mya) Guadalupian (270.6 – 260.4 Mya): Roadian (270.6 – 268 Mya) · Wordian (268 – 265.8 Mya) · Capitanian (265.8 – 260.4 Mya) Lopingian (260.4 – 251 Mya): Wuchiapingian (260.4 – 253.8 Mya) · Changhsingian (253.8 – 251 Mya)

Mesozoic (251 – 65.5 Mya)

Triassic (251 – 199.6 Mya)	Early Triassic (251 – 245.9 Mya): Induan (251 – 249.5 Mya) · Olenekian (249.5 – 245.9 Mya) Middle Triassic (245.9 – 228.7 Mya): Anisian (245.9 – 237 Mya) · Ladinian (237 – 228.7 Mya) Late Triassic (228.7 – 199.6 Mya): Carnian (228.7 – 216.5 Mya) · Norian (216.5 – 203.6 Mya) · Rhaetian (203.6 – 199.6 Mya)

Jurassic (199.6 – 145.5 Mya)	Early Jurassic (199.6 – 175.6 Mya): Hettangian (199.6 – 196.5 Mya) · Sinemurian (196.5 – 189.6 Mya) · Pliensbachian (189.6 – 183 Mya) · Toarcian (183 – 175.6 Mya) Middle Jurassic (175.6 – 161.2 Mya): Aalenian (175.6 – 171.6 Mya) · Bajocian (171.6 – 167.7 Mya) · Bathonian (167.7 – 164.7 Mya) · Callovian (164.7 – 161.2 Mya) Late Jurassic (161.2 – 145.5 Mya): Oxfordian (161.2 – 155.6 Mya) · Kimmeridgian (155.6 – 150.8 Mya) · Tithonian (150.8 – 145.5 Mya)

Cretaceous (145.5 – 65.5 Mya)	Early Cretaceous (145.5 – 99.6 Mya): Berriasian (145.5 – 140.2 Mya) · Valanginian (140.2 – 133.9 Mya) · Hauterivian (133.9 – 130 Mya) · Barremian (130 – 125 Mya) · Aptian (125 – 112 Mya) · Albian (112 – 99.6 Mya) Late Cretaceous (99.6 – 65.5 Mya): Cenomanian (99.6 – 93.6 Mya) · Turonian (93.6 – 88.6 Mya) · Coniacian (88.6 – 85.8 Mya) · Santonian (85.8 – 83.5 Mya) · Campanian (83.5 – 70.6 Mya) · Maastrichtian (70.6 – 65.5 Mya)

Cenozoic (65.5 – 0 Mya)

Paleogene, Neogene and early Pleistocene comprise former Tertiary* (65.5 – 1.8 Mya) period. Gelasian and Calabrian comprise Early Pleistocene (2.588 Mya – 781 kya) subepoch.

Paleogene (65.5 – 23.03 Mya)	Paleocene (65.5 – 55.8 Mya): Danian (65.5 – 61.1 Mya) · Selandian (61.1 – 58.7 Mya) · Thanetian (58.7 – 55.8 Mya) Eocene (55.8 – 33.9 Mya): Ypresian (55.8 – 48.6 Mya) · Lutetian (48.6 – 40.4 Mya) · Bartonian (40.4 – 37.2 Mya) · Priabonian (37.2 – 33.9 Mya) Oligocene (33.9 – 23.03 Mya): Rupelian (33.9 – 28.4 Mya) · Chattian (28.4 – 23.03 Mya)

Neogene (23.03 – 2.588 Mya)	Miocene (23.03 – 5.332 Mya): Aquitanian (23.03 – 20.43 Mya) · Burdigalian (20.43 – 15.97 Mya) · Langhian (15.97 – 13.82 Mya) · Serravallian (13.82 – 11.608 Mya) · Tortonian (11.608 – 7.246 Mya) · Messinian (7.246 – 5.332 Mya) Pliocene (5.332 – 2.588 Mya): Piacenzian (5.332 – 3.6 Mya) · Zanclean (3.6 – 2.588 Mya)

Quaternary (2.588 – 0 Mya)	Pleistocene (2.588 Mya – 11.4 kya): Gelasian (2.588 – 1.806 Mya) · Calabrian (1.806 Mya – 781 kya) · Middle Pleistocene / Ionian (781 – 126 kya) · Late Pleistocene / Tarantian (126 – 11.4 kya): Oldest Dryas (18 – 14.67 kya) · Bølling* (14.67 – 14 kya) · Older Dryas* (14 – 13.7 kya) · Allerød* (13.7 – 12.8 kya) · Younger Dryas* (12.8 – 11.4 kya)* Holocene (11.4 – 0 kya): Preboreal (11.4 – 9 kya) · Boreal* (9 – 8 kya) · Atlantic* (8 – 5 kya) · Subboreal* (5 – 2.5 kya) · Subatlantic* (2.5 – 0 kya)*

kya = thousands years ago. Mya = millions years ago. * Not officially recognized by the I.C.S.

Source: International Stratigraphic Chart. International Commission on Stratigraphy. Retrieved 8 February 2008.