Pleistocene
Sign in to saveThe Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the Ice Age) is the geological epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in 2009 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the cutoff of the Pleistocene and the preceding Pliocene was regarded as being 1.806 million years Before Present (BP). Publications from earlier years may use either definition of the period. The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolith
AI overview
The Pleistocene, commonly called the Ice Age, is a geological epoch that ended 11,700 years ago and was characterized by repeated cycles of glaciation across the Earth. Understanding this period matters because it shaped the planet's landscape and climate patterns that directly influenced early human development and the evolution of modern ecosystems.
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Key facts
- Geologic timespan.name
- Pleistocene
- Geologic timespan.color
- Pleistocene
- Geologic timespan.time_start
- 2.58
- Geologic timespan.time_end
- 0.0117
- Geologic timespan.image_map
- File:Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 21 Ka (Late Pleistocene Age).png
- Geologic timespan.caption_map
- A map of Earth as it appeared approximately 21,000 years ago at the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum during the Late Pleistocene
- Geologic timespan.timeline
- Quaternary
- Geologic timespan.name_formality
- Formal
- Geologic timespan.celestial_body
- earth
- Geologic timespan.usage
- Global (ICS)
- Geologic timespan.chrono_unit
- Epoch
- Geologic timespan.strat_unit
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Dating
- Deposits
- Paleogeography and climate
- Glacial features
- Major events
- Palaeocycles
- Milankovitch cycles
- Oxygen isotope ratio cycles
- Fauna
- Humans
- See also
- Explanatory notes
- References
- External links
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the Ice Age) is the geological epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in 2009 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the cutoff of the Pleistocene and the preceding Pliocene was regarded as being 1.806 million years Before Present (BP). Publications from earlier years may use either definition of the period. The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolithic age used in archaeology. The name comes from Ancient Greek πλεῖστος (pleîstos), meaning "most", and καινός (kainós), meaning "new, recent".
The aridification and cooling trends of the preceding Neogene were continued in the Pleistocene. The climate was strongly variable depending on the glacial cycle, oscillating between cold glacial periods and warmer interglacials, with sea levels dropping at peak glaciation by as much lower than present, allowing the periodic connection of Asia and North America via the Beringia land bridge, and the covering of most of northern North America by the large Laurentide Ice Sheet.