Pleistocene

The Pleistocene Epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1.8-1.6 million to 10,000 years before present, with the end date expressed in radiocarbon years. It covers most of the latest period of repeated glaciation, up to and including the Younger Dryas cold. The end of the Younger Dryas has been dated to about 9600 BC (11550 calendar years BP).

Pleistocene dating

As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start of the Pleistocene are well identified, but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly uncertain. To cover the recent period of repeated glaciations, however, the start was set too late and some early cooling and glaciation are now set in the Pliocene. Some would prefer a start date of around 2.5 million years BP.

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