\[ **BT: [[Earth#the eras and periods of geologic time]] | [[prehistory]]** ] --- # Pleistocene epoch Known colloquially as the **Ice Age**. A geological epoch that lasted from c. 2.58 million years ago to 11,700 years ago.[^1] The Pleistocene is the third division of the [[Earth#Quaternary|Quaternary period]]; it came after the [[Pliocene]] and before the [[Holocene]].[^2] [[Megafauna roamed the Earth during the Pleistocene.]][^3] - ↬ [Megafauna (Australian Museum)](https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/megafauna/) The Pleistocene also contains the entire [[Palaeolithic]]. [[The evolution of anatomically modern humans occurred during the Pleistocene.]][^4] ### Gelasian A time period from 2.58 to 1.80 million years ago.[^5] Also known as the **Lower Pleistocene**.[^6] The beginning of the Gelasian coincides with the oldest known lithic industry, possibly first used by the *[[human beings#Australopithecus|Australopithecus]]* forebears of the genus *Homo*.[^7] Thus, the Gelasian is also the start of the [[Palaeolithic]]. #### Gelasian period in China [[Tools found in Renzidong, Anhui Province, indicate Homo erectus may have had an established presence in China around 2.25 million years ago.]][^8] ### Calabrian A time period from 1.80 to 0.774 million years ago.[^9] ### Middle Pleistocene A time period from 0.774 to 0.129 million years ago.[^10] The official (ICS) name for the Middle Pleistocene is the **Chibanian**.[^11] The beginning of the Middle Pleistocene is the [[Brunhes–Matuyama reversal]]—the last time the [[Earth#the Earth’s magnetic field|Earth’s magnetic field]] underwent a [[Earth#variations in the main magnetic field, including polarity reversals, magnetic storms, magnetospheric substorms, and magnetic pulsations|reversal]].[^12] The beginning of the Middle Pleistocene also roughly coincides with the end of the Penultimate Glacial Period and the onset of the last interglacial period.[^13] In [[knowledge#the nature of anthropology|palaeoanthropology]], the Middle Pleistocene includes the transition from the [[Palaeolithic#Lower Palaeolithic|Lower Palaeolithic]] to the [[Palaeolithic#Middle Palaeolithic|Middle Palaeolithic]]; that is, the emergence of *[[human beings#Homo sapiens|Homo sapiens]].*[^14] [[The evolution of anatomically modern humans occurred during the Pleistocene.]][^4] [[The oldest known human DNA dates to the Middle Pleistocene, i.e. around 430,000 years ago (as of 2016).]][^15] #### human evolution in the Middle Pleistocene - *[[human beings#Homo erectus|Homo erectus]]* (Peking Man) - *[[human beings#Homo heidelbergensis|Homo heidelbergensis]]* (Heidelberg Man, Bodo cranium) - *[[human beings#Homo heidelbergensis|Homo heidelbergensis]]* (Boxgrove Man) - *[[human beings#Homo erectus|Homo erectus]]* (Tautavel Man) - *[[human beings#Homo heidelbergensis|Homo heidelbergensis]]* (Swanscombe Man) - Galilee Man; Haua Fteah - *[[human beings#Homo sapiens|Homo sapiens]]* (Herto Man) *[[human beings#Paranthropus|Paranthropus]]* [[Paranthropus robustus were still present at the beginning of the Pleistocene; however, they had disappeared by the lower Palaeolithic.|were still present at the beginning of the Pleistocene; however, they had disappeared by the lower Palaeolithic.]][^16] *[[human beings#Homo erectus|Homo erectus]]* [[Homo erectus is the only hominin species found in fossil records for much of the Pleistocene.|is the only hominin species found in fossil records for much of the Pleistocene.]][^17] *[[human beings#Homo neanderthalensis|Homo neanderthalensis]]* inhabited Europe, as well as Western and Central Asia, during the [[Pleistocene#Middle Pleistocene|Middle Pleistocene]] to [[Pleistocene|Late Pleistocene]].[^18] ### Late Pleistocene A time period from 0.129 to 0.0117 million years ago.[^19] Also known as the **Upper Pleistocene**.[^20] #### Last Glacial Period The Last Glacial Period (LGP) occurred from the end of the Last Interglacial to the beginning of the Holocene, c. 115,000 – c. 11,700 years ago; it thus corresponds to most of the timespan of the Late Pleistocene. It is the most recent period of what is colloquially known as the ‘**Ice Age**’.[^21] ### glacial features ![[Wikimedia commons - Pleistocene_north_ice_map - public domain.jpg]] <small>Pleistocene ice map [via Wikimedia commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pleistocene_north_ice_map.jpg) (in the [public domain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain)).</small> #### Late Pleistocene extinctions The Late Pleistocene (to the beginning of the [[Holocene]]) saw the extinction of the majority of the world’s megafauna. ##### Megafauna extinction in Australia [[The megafauna in Australia survived for millions of years, despite repeated changes in climate throughout the fluctuating ice ages.]][^22] However: [[Around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, the majority of the megafauna were wiped out.]][^23] - ↬ [Megafauna (Australian Museum)](https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/megafauna/) ###### Laschamps theory [[It is possible that the Laschamps excursion caused the massive extinction event that wiped out the majority of the megafauna. It occurred about 42,000 years ago, which lines up with the megafauna extinction event.]][^24] This is a controversial hypothesis.[^25] [[The extremely high levels of ionising radiation penetrating the atmosphere would have caused enormous damage to the ozone layer, increased UV, and major climate shifts (sudden cooling and drying, thanks to increased cloud cover).]][^26] - see: [[Earth#Laschamps excursion|Laschamps excursion]] —- ## ↬ external resources - [Megafauna (Australian Museum)](https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/megafauna/) --- ## endnotes [^1]: ‘Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, 20 March 2026, 17:27 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene; International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/). [^2]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/). [^3]: ‘Megafauna’, Australian Museum, updated 20 June 2023, https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/megafauna/. [^4]: ‘Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, last edited 11 December 2025, 12:36 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene. [^5]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’. [^6]: ‘Lower Palaeolithic’, Wikipedia, last edited 1 April 2026, 10:00 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Paleolithic. [^7]: ‘Lower Palaeolithic’, Wikipedia, last edited 1 April 2026, 10:00 (UTC). [^8]: Russell Ciochon and Roy Larick, ‘[[Ciochon and Larick, ‘Early Homo erectus Tools in China’, 2000|Early Homo erectus Tools in China]]’, *Newsbriefs* (Archaeology Magazine), vol. 53, no. 1 (January/February 2000). https://archive.archaeology.org/0001/newsbriefs/china.html. [^9]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/). [^10]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/). [^11]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/). [^12]: ‘Middle Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, 13 February 2026, 18:30 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Pleistocene. [^13]: ‘Middle Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, 13 February 2026, 18:30 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Pleistocene. [^14]: ‘Middle Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, 13 February 2026, 18:30 (UTC). [^16]: ‘Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, last edited 11 December 2025, 12:36 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene. [^17]: ‘Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, last edited 11 December 2025, 12:36 (UTC). [^18]: ‘Neanderthal’, Wikipedia, 31 March 2026, 20:58 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal. [^19]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/)’ ‘Late Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, last edited 9 December 2025, 22:11 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Pleistocene. [^20]: International Commission on Stratigraphy, ‘[[ICS, ‘International Chronostratigraphic Chart’, 2024|International Chronostratigraphic Chart]]’, International Commission on Stratigraphy, December 2024, [https://stratigraphy.org/chart/](https://stratigraphy.org/chart/); ‘Late Pleistocene’, Wikipedia, last edited 21 March 2026, 15:51 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Pleistocene. [^21]: ‘Last Glacial Period’, Wikipedia, last edited 9 January 2026, 23:31 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Glacial_Period. [^22]: Jeff Silberry, dir., *[[Silberry, Megafauna, 2024|Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?]]*, Season 1, Episode 1. Accessed 12 February 2025 on ABC iView, https://iview.abc.net.au/show/megafauna-what-killed-australia-s-giants. [^23]: Jeff Silberry, dir., *[[Silberry, Megafauna, 2024|Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?]]*, Season 1, Episode 1. Accessed 12 February 2025 on ABC iView, https://iview.abc.net.au/show/megafauna-what-killed-australia-s-giants. [^24]: Andrew Lorrey, quoted in: Jeff Silberry, dir., *[[Silberry, Megafauna, 2024|Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?]]*, Season 1, Episode 1. Accessed 12 February 2025 on ABC iView, https://iview.abc.net.au/show/megafauna-what-killed-australia-s-giants. [^25]: Jeff Silberry, dir., *[[Silberry, Megafauna, 2024|Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?]]*, Season 1, Episode 1. Accessed 12 February 2025 on ABC iView, https://iview.abc.net.au/show/megafauna-what-killed-australia-s-giants. [^26]: Alan Cooper, quoted in: Jeff Silberry, dir., *[[Silberry, Megafauna, 2024|Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?]]*, Season 1, Episode 1. Accessed 12 February 2025 on ABC iView, https://iview.abc.net.au/show/megafauna-what-killed-australia-s-giants.