Quaternary period vs Quaternary

Quaternary period and Quaternary both are nouns.

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

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

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

Other synonyms of Quaternary period include Age of Man.

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