Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Who introduced the name Tertiary in 1760?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Tertiary Period
Gypsum cones, which resulted from the evaporation of the Mediterranean Sea during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, in the Sorbas basin, Spain.
The name "Tertiary" was introduced by the Italian geologist Giovanni Arduino in 1760.1
Arduino, often referred to as the father of Italian geology, developed a stratigraphic system that classified the Earth's crust into four main layers: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary. In this framework, he used the term "tertiary" to describe sedimentary rocks containing fossils, distinguishing them from the "primary" rocks found in mountain cores and the "secondary" shales and limestones of Europe. While his classification system is considered simplistic by modern standards, it provided the essential foundation for the development of modern stratigraphy.21