The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.332 million years before the present (23.03 to 5.332 Ma). The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words μείων (meiōn, “less”) and καινός (kainos, “new”) and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene.
