Quaternary vs Quaternary period

Quaternary and Quaternary period both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Quaternary	Yes	No	No	No
Quaternary period	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, Quaternary and Quaternary period are synonyms defined as:

Quaternary and Quaternary period: the period of the last 2 million years

Other synonyms of Quaternary include Age of Man.

Quaternary (noun)	Quaternary period (noun)
the period of the last 2 million years	the period of the last 2 million years