BY: Maximilian Ackermann H.

Tectonic activity continued as Gondwana finally split completely apart, India collided with the Eurasian plate. South America was connected to North America toward the end of the Tertiary. Antarctica drifted to its current position over the South Pole.

After the previous time period (the Cretaceous) ended with the extinction of dinosaurs, large reptiles, and many other animals, mammals no longer faced as much competition. Mammals became the dominant species on Earth. This is why the Tertiary period is called the Age of Mammals.

Many of the plants that grew in this time period were similar to what we see today. In the Tertiary period there was lots of grass for animals to feed on, flowering plants and dense forest. At the end of the time period, the cooling climate caused the polar caps to freeze and be covered with large glaciers. When this happened, the sea levels dropped and land bridges appeared between Asia and North America, between Great Britain and Europe, and between South East Asia and Borneo. This was significant because it allowed the migration of plants and animals to new areas on Earth.

When this happened, the sea levels dropped and land bridges appeared between Asia and North America, between Great Britain and Europe, and between South East Asia and Borneo. This was significant because it allowed the migration of plants and animals to new areas on Earth.

In the beginning, the Earth was warm and moist compared to the weather now. Most of the Earth’s climate was tropical or sub- tropical. But, by the middle of the period, the Earth had started to cool. This happened because of the volcanoes that kept giving off carbon dioxide. By the end of the Tertiary period it became so cold that the last ice age had started.