The current and most recent of the Cenozoic era's three periods, spanning the last 2.58 million years to the present. It is defined by the Quaternary glaciation, the cyclic growth and decay of continental ice sheets tied to Milankovitch orbital cycles, and it is the period during which recognizably modern humans evolved and spread across the planet. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Start (Million Years Ago) End (Million Years Ago) Key EventModern humans emerged approximately 315,000 years ago during this period. 1 Defining Event Connections
Anticipated By
Associated With
Source Comoro Islands (Wikipedia)
Source Coropuna (Wikipedia)
Source Eureka Valley (Inyo County) (Wikipedia)
Source Falso Azufre (Wikipedia)
Source Great Blue Hole (Wikipedia)
Source Gudbrandsdalen (Wikipedia)
Source Kazanlak Valley (Wikipedia)
Source Mount Cameroon (Wikipedia)
Source Mount Iriga (Wikipedia)
Source Mount Takahe (Wikipedia)
Source Owens Valley (Wikipedia)
Source Santa Clarita Valley (Wikipedia)
Source Sharqiya Sands (Wikipedia)
Source Tunkin Depression (Wikipedia)
Source Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (Wikipedia)
Has Geologic Rank
In Discipline
Sources
1. Quaternary (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
The current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy
Article text
These mammals became extinct when the glacial period ended about 11,700 years ago. Modern humans evolved about 315,000 years ago.
Lead paragraph
The Quaternary is typically defined by the Quaternary glaciation, the cyclic growth and decay of continental ice sheets related to the Milankovitch cycles and the associated climate and environmental changes that they caused.
View the Source Great Blue Hole (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Great Blue Hole, Lead paragraph
It was formed during several phases of the Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower.
Associated With: Great Blue Hole, Lead, age Quaternary
It was formed during several phases of the Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower.
View the SourceComoro Islands (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Comoro Islands, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Comoro Islands, Article text, age Quaternary
These volcanic islands, together with the high mountains in the north of Madagascar, were formed in the Tertiary and Quaternary periods.
Coropuna (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Coropuna, Lead, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Coropuna, Lead, age Quaternary
The Coropuna complex has been active for at least five million years, with the bulk of the current cone having been formed during the Quaternary.
Eureka Valley (Inyo County) (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Eureka Valley (Inyo County), Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Eureka Valley (Inyo County), Article text, age Quaternary
According to a USGS survey map, the surrounding mountain ranges contain rocks that date back to the Mississippian and Cambrian periods while the surficial deposits on the valley floor are made up mainly of alluvium dating to the Quaternary period.
Falso Azufre (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Falso Azufre, Lead, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Falso Azufre, Lead, age Quaternary
Falso Azufre is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes together with about 110 other Quaternary volcanoes, and lies in the southern sector of the volcanic zone; other volcanic zones in the Andes are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone.
Gudbrandsdalen (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Gudbrandsdalen, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Gudbrandsdalen, Article text, age Quaternary
Only millions of year later was the valley re-shaped by glaciers during the Quaternary period.
Kazanlak Valley (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Kazanlak Valley, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Kazanlak Valley, Article text, age Quaternary
Geologically, the Kazanlak Valley is a tectonic depression that sank during the Neogene and Quaternary periods.
Mount Cameroon (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Mount Cameroon, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Mount Cameroon, Article text, age Quaternary
It sits on a horst of Precambrian granite and gneiss overlain by Cretaceous to Quaternary sediments.
Mount Takahe (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Mount Takahe, Lead, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Mount Takahe, Lead, age Quaternary
The volcano was active in the Quaternary period.
Owens Valley (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Owens Valley, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Owens Valley, Article text, age Quaternary
Elevations range from about 3,800 feet (1,200 m) along the Owens River in the south to more than 6,000 feet (1,800 m) where the higher fans descend from adjacent mountains. Alluvium from the Quaternary period covers the region, with some small areas of lava flows.
Santa Clarita Valley (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Santa Clarita Valley, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Santa Clarita Valley, Article text, age Quaternary
The Santa Clarita Valley is underlain by Quaternary alluvial deposits and coarse-grained Pleistocene age conglomerates dominated by sandstone of marine and non-marine origin.
Sharqiya Sands (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Sharqiya Sands, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Sharqiya Sands, Article text, age Quaternary
The desert was formed during the Quaternary period as a result of the forces of south-west blowing monsoon and the northern shamal trade wind, coming in from the east.
Tunkin Depression (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Tunkin Depression, Lead, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Tunkin Depression, Lead, age Quaternary
The Tunkin volcanic field has filled the Tunkin Depression with about 500 metres (1,600 ft) of volcanic products, which range from Miocene to Quaternary and include basaltic lava flows and tuffs.
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Article text, age QuaternaryQuote, Associated With: Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Article text, age Quaternary
Most prevalent though are the Quaternary stratovolcanoes along the Aleutian Arc associated with the Aleutian subduction zone.
Mount Iriga (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Mount Iriga, Infobox: ageQuote, Associated With: Mount Iriga, Infobox: age
Quaternary
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