Chapter 17: Problem 23

Define an ice age. When was the most recent? Explain glacial and interglacial in your answer.

Short Answer

Expert verified

An Ice Age is a long period when global temperatures are relatively cold and large areas of the Earth are covered by continental ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Within an Ice Age, there exist 'glacial' periods of more severe cold and 'interglacial' periods of more warmth. The most recent ice age occurred in the Pleistocene epoch, around 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago.

Step by step solution

Defining an Ice Age

An Ice Age is a long interval of time (millions to tens of millions of years) when global temperatures are relatively cold and large areas of the Earth are covered by continental ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Within an Ice Age, there exist periods of more severe glacial conditions and more temperate referred to as glacial periods and interglacial periods respectively.

Explaining Glacial and Interglacial

The term 'glacial' pertains to the period of time during an ice age where colder temperatures are prevalent and significant glacial ice has formed and dramatically changed the landscape. These periods are marked by the expansion of ice sheets and glaciers. In contrast, 'interglacial' periods occur during an ice age as well, but are marked by warmer climate conditions and the retreat of ice.

Identifying the Most Recent Ice Age

The most recent ice age occurred in the Pleistocene epoch, which began about 2.6 million years ago and lasted until about 11,700 years ago. During the Pleistocene, there were several glacial and interglacial periods. The end of the Pleistocene marked the beginning of the Holocene epoch, which is the current interglacial period that we are still in today.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

Full Textbook Solutions
Get detailed explanations and key concepts
Unlimited Al creation
Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...
Ads-free access
To over 500 millions flashcards
Money-back guarantee
We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

Recommended explanations on Geography Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Define an ice age. When was the most recent? Explain glacial and interglacial in your answer.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Defining an Ice Age

Explaining Glacial and Interglacial

Identifying the Most Recent Ice Age

One App. One Place for Learning.

Most popular questions from this chapter

Recommended explanations on Geography Textbooks

Energy Security

Diverse Places

Water Cycle

Regenerating Places

Living World

Glaciated Landscapes

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.