Holocene
Post-glacial present era
The Holocene is the current geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago at the end of the last ice age.
It encompasses all of recorded human history—the rise of agriculture, cities, and civilization.
Scientists debate whether recent human impact on Earth warrants a new epoch name (Anthropocene), but Holocene remains the formal designation.
Last 2.6 million years
- interglacialEpoch between major freezes
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- geologyStudy of Earth's composition
- sedimentsParticles that settle below
postglacial · geological time · boundary marker · radiocarbon dating · ice cores · geochronology
Epoch between major freezes
- glacial retreatShrinking of ice masses
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- temperature fluctuationsChanges in heat levels
- paleoclimatologyStudy of prehistoric climates
Final prehistoric stone-tool era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- domesticationAdapting species to captivity
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- potteryFired clay objects
megaliths · Bronze Age · settlements · artifacts · excavation · carbon dating · ceramics · weaving
Species over 44 kilograms
- mammothsExtinct woolly elephants
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- cave bearExtinct large ursid species
- giant slothExtinct oversized tree-stripper
saber-toothed cat · woolly rhinoceros · moa · dodo · thylacine · habitat loss · biodiversity loss · extinction events
Large-scale woodland elimination
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- land clearingRemoving growth from terrain
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- biodiversity lossReduction in species variety
soil erosion · species extinction · environmental change · anthropogenic · habitat fragmentation
Quaternary
Last 2.6 million years
- interglacialEpoch between major freezes
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- geologyStudy of Earth's composition
sediments · postglacial · geological time · boundary marker · radiocarbon dating · ice cores · geochronology
interglacial
Epoch between major freezes
- glacial retreatShrinking of ice masses
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- temperature fluctuationsChanges in heat levels
paleoclimatology · Milankovitch cycles · ocean currents · paleoecology
Neolithic
Final prehistoric stone-tool era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- domesticationAdapting species to captivity
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
pottery · megaliths · Bronze Age · settlements · artifacts · excavation · carbon dating · ceramics · weaving · trade routes
megafauna
Species over 44 kilograms
- mammothsExtinct woolly elephants
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- cave bearExtinct large ursid species
giant sloth · saber-toothed cat · woolly rhinoceros · moa · dodo · thylacine · habitat loss · biodiversity loss · extinction events · refugia
deforestation
Large-scale woodland elimination
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
- land clearingRemoving growth from terrain
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
biodiversity loss · soil erosion · species extinction · environmental change · anthropogenic · habitat fragmentation
- climateclimate change, climate, weather, global warming, temperature
- Ice Ageice age, mammoths, saber-tooth cat, mammoth, woolly mammoth
- Earth historyice age, geological time, extinction, eons, fossil
- geologic timeeons, eon, epochs, era, epoch
- glaciersglacier, crevasse, glacial movement, moraine, iceberg
- CenozoicPaleocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Quaternary, Paleogene
HolocenePleistocene
Ancient glacial geological period
Ice Age · Precambrian · Archean · Younger Dryas · Proterozoic