I need to fill in the blank spaces.

i think the miocene epoch spans the time from 23 million to 12 million years ago.

try using substitution:

x + y - 6 = x - y. (i'm not giving you the exact answer). since 0 = x - y, then sub 0 in the equation with x - y. combine your like terms, and then use inverse operations, and you'll have your answer.

: -)