Pleistocene epoch
The sixth epoch of the Cenozoic era of
geologic time. According to a classification that considered its deposits
to have been formed by the biblical great flood, the epoch was originally
called the Quaternary. Analyses of the
magnetic polarity in deep-sea sediment cores indicated that the Pleistocene
began more than 1.8 million years ago – much earlier than had previously
been suspected. Since the interglacial periods of the Pleistocene were of
longer duration than the time elapsed since the end of the Pleistocene 11,000
years ago, it is sometimes suggested that the Holocene,
or Recent, epoch, which is occurring now, may be merely another such interglacial
stage and that the glaciers may return at
some future time.
Related category
• GEOLOGY
AND PLANETARY SCIENCE
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