Topic summary
Neotethys
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Tethys Ocean.
It was preceded by the Paleo-Tethys Ocean, which lasted between the Cambrian and the Early Triassic, while the Neotethys formed during the Late Triassic and lasted in some form up to the Oligocene–Miocene boundary (about 24–21 million years ago) when it completely closed. A portion known as the Paratethys was isolated during the Oligocene (34 million years ago) and lasted up to the Pliocene (about 5 million years ago), when it largely dried out. The modern inland seas of Europe and Western Asia, namely the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, are remnants of the Paratethys Sea.