Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which geologic period came before the Quaternary Period?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Quaternary Period is the most recent period of the Cenozoic Era, beginning approximately 2.6 million years ago.123

The geologic period that immediately precedes the Quaternary is the Neogene Period. While the Cenozoic Era was traditionally divided into the Tertiary Period and the Quaternary Period, modern geologic classification formally divides the era into the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary periods.231