Holocene

Holocene
0.0117 – 0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Map of Earth as it appears during the current Holocene epoch
Chronology
−10400 — – — – −10000 — – — – −9600 — – — – −9200 — – — – −8800 — – — – −8400 — – — – −8000 — – — – −7600 — – — – −7200 — – — – −6800 — – — – −6400 — – — – −6000 — – — – −5600 — – — – −5200 — – — – −4800 — – — – −4400 — – — – −4000 — – — – −3600 — – — – −3200 — – — – −2800 — – — – −2400 — – — – −2000 — – — – −1600 — – — – −1200 — – — – −800 — – — – −400 — – — – 0 — – — – 400 — – — – 800 — – — – 1200 — – — – 1600 — – — – 2000 — Cenozoic Quaternary Pleistocene Holocene Greenlandian Northgrippian Meghalayan     ← Year 0 ← 8.2 kiloyear event ← 4.2 kiloyear event ← Y2K Ages of the Holocene Epoch. Axis scale: AD year.
Etymology
Name formality	Formal
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Epoch
Stratigraphic unit	Series
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	End of the Younger Dryas stadial.
Lower boundary GSSP	NGRIP2 ice core, Greenland 75°06′00″N 42°19′12″W / 75.1000°N 42.3200°W / 75.1000; -42.3200
Lower GSSP ratified	2008[1]
Upper boundary definition	Present day
Upper boundary GSSP	N/A N/A
Upper GSSP ratified	N/A

The Holocene (/ˈhɒl.əsiːn, -oʊ-, ˈhoʊ.lə-, -loʊ-/)^[2][3] is the current geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago.^[4] It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat.^[4] The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene^[5] together form the Quaternary period. The Holocene is an interglacial period within the ongoing glacial cycles of the Quaternary, and is equivalent to Marine Isotope Stage 1.

The Holocene correlates with the last maximum axial tilt of the Earth towards the Sun, and corresponds with the rapid proliferation, growth, and impacts of the human species worldwide, including all of its written history, technological revolutions, development of major civilizations, and overall significant transition towards urban living in the present. The human impact on modern-era Earth and its ecosystems may be considered of global significance for the future evolution of living species, including approximately synchronous lithospheric evidence, or more recently hydrospheric and atmospheric evidence of the human impact. In July 2018, the International Union of Geological Sciences split the Holocene Epoch into three distinct ages based on the climate, Greenlandian (11,700 years ago to 8,200 years ago), Northgrippian (8,200 years ago to 4,200 years ago) and Meghalayan (4,200 years ago to the present), as proposed by International Commission on Stratigraphy.^[6] The oldest age, the Greenlandian, was characterized by a warming following the preceding ice age. The Northgrippian Age is known for vast cooling due to a disruption in ocean circulations that was caused by the melting of glaciers. The most recent age of the Holocene is the present Meghalayan, which began with extreme drought that lasted around 200 years.^[6]