Pleistocene Glaciation
- There were several periods (11 in total) of glaciation during the Pleistocene epoch
- These 'ice ages' roughly cover the period between 2.6 million and 11,700 years BP (before present)
- During this time, there were patterns of alternating interglacial (warm) and glacial (cold) periods
- Glacial periods saw glacial advance/expansion and sea levels dropped
- Interglacial saw glacial retreat/contraction and sea level rise
- The last glacial maximum was about 21,000 years ago and cold environments covered over 30% of the Earth's surface
- At this point the Earth's average temperature was 6°C (average now is 14-15°C)
- The climate was drier, because most of the water on Earth's surface was ice, resulting in less precipitation
- Sea levels dropped, and shorelines extended farther out, creating more land (water was trapped in ice sheets)
- The polar ice sheets covered much of the UK and most of southern Europe was periglacial
- Currently, the Earth is in an interglacial period with glaciers retreating
Extent of global ice during Pleistocene epoch
