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 paleogeography and climate

The modern continents were essentially at their present positions during the Pleistocene, probably moving no more than 100km. The Pleistocene climate was characterized by repeated glacial cycles where continental glaciers pushed to the 40th parallel in some places. Four major glacial events have been identified, as well as many minor intervening events. The four major identified glacial excursions were the Nebraskan-Gunz, Kansan-Mindel, Illinoian-Riss, and Wisconsin-Würm. There may have been as many as 14 additional unnamed advances whose results have been largely erased by the later glaciers. Each glacial advance tied up huge volumes of water in continental ice sheets 1500-3000 meters thick, resulting in temporary sea level drops of 100 meters or more. Antarctica was ice-bound throughout the Pleistocene as well as the preceding Pliocene.

Related Topics:
Continent - Continental glacier - Parallel - Antarctica

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