Aquitanian age

The Aquitanian is the oldest age or lowest stage in the geologic timescale, as defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. It lasted from about 23.03 million years ago to 20.44 million years ago, during the early part of the Miocene epoch. This period was marked by dry and cooling climate conditions.

The Aquitanian Age comes right after the Chattian, which is the last age of the Oligocene, and it is followed by the Burdigalian Age. During this time, many important changes were happening in Earth's climate and landscapes, setting the stage for future developments in the planet's history. The Aquitanian also overlaps with several other regional ages, such as the Harrisonian, Agenian, Pareora, Landon, Otaian, and Waitakian, which are used in different parts of the world to describe the same general time frame.

Stratigraphic definition

The Aquitanian Stage was named after the Aquitaine region in France and was first described by a Swiss scientist named Karl Mayer-Eymar in 1858.

Scientists define the start of the Aquitanian Stage by looking for certain tiny fossils in rock layers. The end of the Aquitanian Stage is marked by the appearance of another type of tiny fossil. These details help geologists understand how old different rock layers are.