Timeline of glaciation

File:GlaciationsinEarthExistancelicenced annotated.jpg

{{Life timeline}}

The third ice age, and possibly most severe, is estimated to have occurred from 720 to 635 Ma (million years) ago,{{cite web|url=http://www.stratigraphy.org/index.php/ics-chart-timescale |title=Chart |publisher=International Commission on Stratigraphy |access-date=2017-02-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113013553/http://www.stratigraphy.org/index.php/ics-chart-timescale |archive-date=2017-01-13 }} in the Neoproterozoic Era, and it has been suggested that it produced a secondMiracle Planet: Snowball Earth, (2005) documentary, Canadian Film Board, rebroadcast 25 April 2009 on the Science Channel (HD). "Snowball Earth", i.e. a period during which Earth was completely covered in ice. It has also been suggested that the end of that second cold period was responsible for the subsequent Cambrian explosion, a time of rapid diversification of multi-cellular life during the Cambrian Period. The hypothesis is still controversial,{{cite book |last=van Andel |first=Tjeerd H. |title=New Views on an Old Planet: A History of Global Change |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge UK |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-521-44755-3 |edition=2nd }}{{cite journal |author=Rieu, Ruben|title=Climatic cycles during a Neoproterozoic "snowball" glacial epoch |journal=Geology |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=299–302 |year=2007 |doi=10.1130/G23400A.1|display-authors=etal|bibcode=2007Geo....35..299R }} though is gaining credence among researchers, as evidence in its favour has mounted.{{Cite web |title=The Cambrian Period |url=https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/cambrian.php |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=ucmp.berkeley.edu}}

A minor series of glaciations occurred from 460 to 430 Ma, and there were extensive glaciations from 350 to 289 Ma.

The Late Cenozoic Ice Age has seen extensive ice sheets in Antarctica for the last 34 Ma. During the last 3 Ma, ice sheets have also developed on the northern hemisphere. That phase is known as the Quaternary glaciation, and was marked by more or less extensive glaciation. They first appeared with a dominant frequency of 41,000 years, but after the Mid-Pleistocene Transition that changed to high-amplitude cycles, with an average period of 100,000 years.{{cite journal|title=Mid-Pleistocene transition in glacial cycles explained by declining CO2 and regolith removal | Science Advances|journal=Science Advances|date=April 2019 |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=eaav7337 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aav7337 |last1=Brovkin| first1=V.| last2=Calov| first2=R.|last3=Ganopolski| first3=A. |last4=Willeit |first4=M. |pmid=30949580 |pmc=6447376}}

Whereas the first 30 million years of the Late Cenozoic Ice Age mostly involved Antarctica, the Quaternary has seen numerous ice sheets extending over parts of Europe and North America that are currently populated and easily accessible. Early geologists therefore named apparent sequences of glacial and interglacial periods of the Quaternary Ice Age after characteristic geological features, and these names varied from region to region. The marine record preserves all the past glaciations; the land-based evidence is less complete because successive glaciations may wipe out evidence of their predecessors. Ice cores from continental ice accumulations also provide a complete record, but do not go as far back in time as marine data. Pollen data from lakes and bogs as well as loess profiles provided important land-based correlation data.{{cite web |author=Davis, Owen K. |title=Non-Marine Records: Correlations with the Marine Sequence |work=Introduction to Quaternary Ecology |publisher=University of Arizona |url=http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/geos462/07nonmarin.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727164508/http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/geos462/07nonmarin.html |archive-date=2017-07-27 }} The names system has mostly been phased out by professionals. It is now more common for researchers to refer to the periods by their marine isotopic stage number.{{cite book |author1=Gibbard, P. |author2=van Kolfschoten, T. |chapter=Chapter 22: The Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs |chapter-url=http://www-qpg.geog.cam.ac.uk/people/gibbard/GTS2004Quat.pdf |editor1=Gradstein, F. M. |editor2=Ogg, James G. |editor3=Smith, A. Gilbert |title=A Geologic Time Scale 2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-521-78142-8 }} For example, there are five Pleistocene glacial/interglacial cycles recorded in marine sediments during the last half million years, but only three classic glacials were originally recognized on land during that period (Mindel, Riss and Würm).{{cite journal |author=Kukla, George |title=Saalian supercycle, Mindel/Riss interglacial and Milankovitch's dating |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |volume=24 |issue=14–15 |pages=1573–83 |date=August 2005 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.08.023 |bibcode=2005QSRv...24.1573K }}

Land-based evidence works acceptably well back as far as MIS 6 (see Marine isotope stages, Stages), but it has been difficult to coordinate stages using just land-based evidence before that. Hence, the "names" system is incomplete and the land-based identifications of ice ages previous to that are somewhat conjectural. Nonetheless, land based data is essentially useful in discussing landforms, and correlating the known marine isotopic stage with them.

• Biber (2.6–1.8 Ma, Gelasian)
• Biber-Danube interglacial (not in use)
• Danube (1.8–1.0 Ma, Calabrian)
• Danube-Gunz interglacial (not in use)
• Günz (1.0–0.4 Ma, MIS 21 – MIS 11 ?)
• Günz-Haslach interglacial (not in use)
• Haslach (seldom used)
• Haslach-Mindel interglacial (not in use)
• Mindel (MIS 12?, MIS 10)
• Mindel-Riss interglacial (MIS 9)
• Riss (MIS 8-6)
• Riss-Würm interglacial (MIS 5e)
• Würm (MIS 5d-2)

• Bramertonian Stage
• Baventian Stage/Pre-Pastonian
• Pastonian Stage
• Beestonian stage
• Cromerian Stage (MIS 21-13 ?)
• Anglian Stage (MIS 12, perhaps also MIS 10 ?)
• Hoxnian Stage (MIS 11, perhaps also MIS 9 ?)
• Wolstonian Stage (MIS 8–6, perhaps also MIS 10–9 ?)
• Ipswichian interglacial (MIS 5e)
• Devensian glaciation (MIS 5d-2)
• Flandrian interglacial (MIS 1)

• Pre-Tiglian
• Tiglian interglacial
• Eburonian
• Waalian interglacial
• Menapian glacial stage{{Cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Menapian-Glacial-Stage | title=Menapian Glacial Stage | geology}}
• Bavelian
• Cromerian complex (MIS 21-13 ?)
• Elster glaciation (MIS 10, perhaps also MIS 12 ?)
• Holstein interglacial (MIS 9 ?)
• Saale glaciation (ended with MIS 6)
• Eem interglacial (MIS 5e)
• Weichsel glaciation (MIS 5d-2)

• Nebraskan glaciation (replaced by Pre-Illinoian in modern scientific literature)
• Aftonian interglacial (replaced by Pre-Illinoian in modern scientific literature)
• Kansan glaciation (replaced by Pre-Illinoian in modern scientific literature)
• Yarmouthian (stage) (replaced by Pre-Illinoian in modern scientific literature)
• Illinoian stage (MIS 6)
• Sangamonian (MIS 5e, sometimes also 5d-5a)
• Wisconsin glaciation (MIS 4-2, sometimes also 5d-5a)

• Caracoles (Río Frío) glaciation
• Río Llico (Colegual) glaciation
• Santa María (Casma) glaciation
• Valdivia interglacial (MIS 5e)
• Llanquihue glaciation (at least MIS 4-2)

It has proved difficult to correlate the traditional regional names with the global marine and ice core sequences. The indexes of MIS often identify several distinct glaciations that overlap in time with a single traditional regional glaciation. Some modern authors use the traditional regional glacial names to identify such a sequence of glaciations, whereas others replace the word "glaciation" with "complex" to refer to a continuous period of time that also includes warmer stages. As shown in the table below, it is only during the last 200-300 thousand years that the time resolution of the traditional nomenclature allow for clear correspondence with MIS indexes. In particular there has been a lot of controversy regarding the glaciations MIS 10 and MIS 12, and their correspondence to the Elster and Mindel glaciations of Europe.{{cite journal|author=Böse|display-authors=etal|year=2012|title=Quaternary Glaciations of Northern Europe|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|issue=44|page=17|citeseerx=10.1.1.734.1691 }}

For sources to the tables, see the individual linked articles.

• {{annotated link|Brunhes–Matuyama reversal}} (about 780,000 years ago)
• {{annotated link|Geologic time scale}}
• {{annotated link|Glacial history of Minnesota}}
• {{annotated link|Glacial period}}
• {{annotated link|Ice age}}
• {{annotated link|Last Glacial Period}}
• {{annotated link|Thermal history of Earth}}
• {{annotated link|Geologic temperature record}}
• {{annotated link|List of periods and events in climate history}}

{{reflist}}

{{Wiktionary-inline|glaciation}}

• {{cite web |author=Aber, J.S. |title=Regional Glaciation of Kansas and Nebraska |date=2006 |publisher=Emporia State University |location=Emporia KS |url=http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/ice/lec17/lec17.htm}}
• {{cite web|author=Work Group on Geospatial Analysis of Glaciated Environments (GAGE) |title=Pre-Wisconsin Glaciation of Central North America |date=2000 |publisher=INQUA Commission on Glaciation, Emporia State University |url=http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/gage/pre-wisc/pre-wisc.htm |location=Emporia KS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513181655/http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/gage/pre-wisc/pre-wisc.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2008 }}
• {{cite web |author=Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy |title=Global correlation tables for the Quaternary |date=2011 |publisher=Department of Geography, University of Cambridge |location=Cambridge UK |url=http://quaternary.stratigraphy.org/charts/}}
• {{cite web |author1=Gibbard, P.L. |author2=Boreham, S. |author3=Cohen, K.M. |author4=Moscariello, A. |title=Global chronostratigraphical correlation table for the last 2.7 million years v. 2011. |publisher=Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge |location=Cambridge UK |year=2011 |url=https://www.academia.edu/3557337}}
• {{cite book|editor1=Hambrey, M.J. |editor2=Harland, W.B. |title=Earth's pre-Pleistocene glacial record |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1981 |url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/~glawww/epgr.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011144504/http://www.aber.ac.uk/~glawww/epgr.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2006 }} 1004 + xv pp. (book downloadable as series of PDF files)
• {{cite web |author1=Silva, P.G. |author2=Zazo, C |author3=Bardají, T. |author4=Baena, J. |author5=Lario, J. |author6=Rosas, A. |author7=Van der Made |title=Tabla Cronoestratigráfica del Cuaternario AEQUA V.2 |date=2009 |location=Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain |publisher=Asociación Española para el Estudio del Cuaternario (AEQUA) |url=http://tierra.rediris.es/aequa/doc/tabla_aequav2_2009.pdf/. |format=PDF 3.6 Mb |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626140850/http://tierra.rediris.es/aequa/doc/tabla_aequav2_2009.pdf |archive-date=2012-06-26 }} (Correlation Chart of European Quaternary and cultural stages and fossils)

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Category:Ice ages

Glaciation

Category:Glaciology

Category:Paleoclimatology