The Tertiary Period Epoch is a period of geologic time that lasted from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. It is divided into three epochs: the Paleogene, the Neogene, and the Quaternary. The EOCENE Epoch is part of the Paleogene and lasted from 56 to 33.9 million years ago. During this time, the Earth's climate was warm and tropical, and the continents were beginning to take their modern shapes.