earth science

Langhian

Langhian is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Langhian rather than just read about it. In short: In the ICS geologic timescale, the Langhian is an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 15.98 Ma and 13.82 (million years ago) during the Middle Miocene.

Key takeaways

Langhian belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Langhian to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Langhian from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In the ICS geologic timescale, the Langhian is an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 15.98 Ma and 13.82 (million years ago) during the Middle Miocene. The Langhian was a continuing warming period defined by Lorenzo Pareto in 1865, it was originally established in the Langhe area north of Ceva in northern Italy, hence the name. The Langhian is preceded by the Burdigalian and followed by the Serravallian Stage.

Stratigraphic definition The base of the Langhian is defined by the first appearance of foraminifer species Praeorbulina glomerosa and is also coeval with the top of magnetic chronozone C5Cn.1n. A GSSP for the Langhian Stage was not yet established in 2009. The top of the Langhian Stage (the base of the Serravallian Stage) is at the first occurrence of fossils of the nanoplankton species Sphenolithus heteromorphus and is located in magnetic chronozone C5ABr. The Langhian is coeval with the Orleanian and Astaracian European Land Mammal Mega Zones (more precisely: with biozones MN5 and MN6, MN6 starts just below the Langhian-Serravallian boundary), with the upper Hemingfordian to mid-Barstovian North American Land Mammal Ages, with mid-Relizian to Luisian Californian regional stages (the Luisian extends barely into the early Serravallian), with the early-mid Badenian Paratethys stage of Central and eastern Europe, with the Tozawan stage in Japan (which runs barely into the early Serravallian), with the late Batesfordian through Balcombian to early Bairnsdalian Australian stages and with the mid-Cliffdenian to mid-Lillburnian New Zealand stages.

Paleontology

Reptiles Turtles: Meiolania brevicollis

Cartilaginous fish Sharks, rays, skates and relatives

Chlamydoselachidae: †Chlamydoselachus tobleri Hexanchidae: Hexanchus griseus (includes "H. andersoni" and "H. gigas"), Hexanchus nakamurai (includes "H. vitulus"), Notorynchus cepedianus (includes "N. kempi" and "N. primigenius")

Mammals Perissodactyla Rhinocerotidae: †Dicerorhinus sansaniensis Rodentia Cricetidae: †Karydomys Sciuridae: †Palaeosciurus, ?Ratufa

Climate In August 2021, the 6th IPCC report indicated that global temperature was 4°C– 10°C warmer during the Miocene Climatic Optimum (16.9-14.7 Ma ago) than 1850-1900.

See also Middle Miocene disruption Nördlinger Ries impact crater

References

Footnotes

Literature

Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G.; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press. Pareto, L.; 1865: Note sur les subdivisions que l'on pourrait établir dans les terrains tertaires de l'Apennin septentrional, Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 2(22), p. 210-277. PDF (in French)

External links GeoWhen Database - Langhian Neogene timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS Neogene timescale at the website of the Norwegian network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Langhian

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Langhian claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Langhian before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Langhian ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Langhian

In research: Langhian appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Langhian in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Langhian is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geological ages, Langhian, Langhian first appearances, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Langhian outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Langhian in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Langhian means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Langhian out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Langhian in simple terms?

In the ICS geologic timescale, the Langhian is an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 15.98 Ma and 13.82 (million years ago) during the Middle Miocene.

Why does Langhian matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Langhian?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Langhian.