Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Paleogene Period
- A Journey Through Time Since the Precambrian - Paleogene Period: 66 million to 23 million years ago, and Neogene Period: 23 million to 2.6 million years ago
- A Journey Through Time Since the Precambrian - Cretaceous Period: 145 million to 66 million years ago
- Cenozoic Era
- Cretaceous Period
Which geologic period followed the Cretaceous Period?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Cretaceous Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the late Cretaceous Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
The geologic period that followed the Cretaceous Period is the Paleogene Period.1
The Paleogene, which spans from 66 million to 23 million years ago, is the oldest of the three stratigraphic divisions of the Cenozoic Era. While the Cenozoic was traditionally divided into the Tertiary Period and the Quaternary Period, the use of the Paleogene and Neogene designations to replace the Tertiary is now widely accepted.234