Holocene

The Holocene Epoch is a geologic period that extends from the present back about 10,000 radiocarbon years. The beginning of the Holocene was punctuated by the Younger Dryas cold period, the final part of the Pleistocene epoch. The end of the Younger Dryas has been dated to about 9600 BC (11550 calendar years BP). However, evidence for the Younger Dryas is not clear cut anywhere other than in the Northern Hemisphere.

Related Topics:
Epoch - Radiocarbon year - Younger Dryas - Pleistocene - BP

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The Holocene starts late in the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers. The Holocene is the fourth and last epoch of the Neogene period (second epoch of the unofficial Quaternary sub-era). The name is derived from the Greek holos (entire(ly)) and ceno (new). It has also been called the "Alluvium Epoch".

Related Topics:
Pleistocene - Glacier - Neogene - Quaternary

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Paleontologists have defined no faunal stages for the Pleistocene or Holocene.

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