Uintan

Uintan
Chronology
Formerly part ofTertiary Period/System
Etymology
Name formalityFormal
Usage information
Celestial bodyEarth
Regional usageGlobal (ICS)
Time scale(s) usedICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unitAge
Stratigraphic unitStage
Time span formalityFormal
Upper boundary definition candidatesCalcareous nannofossil near LAD of the Haptophyte Reticulofenestra reticulata
Upper boundary GSSP candidate section(s)Contessa highway section, Gubbio, Central Apennines, Italy

The Uintan North American Stage is the North American faunal stage, typically set from 46,200,000 to 42,000,000 years before present lasting 4.2 million years. The Uintan Stage is a key part of the North American Land Mammal Age. In the Uinta Basin, a thriving subtropical ecosystem was formed at around 46.0 million years ago. It falls within the Eocene epoch, preceded by the Bridgerian and followed by the Duchesnean NALMA stages. The Uinta Formation is a key piece of this geologic stage. Mammalian sabretooths evolved and became dominant predators in the now-Western United States. These included Apataelurus, Diegoaelurus, and Machaeroides.