Pleistocene glacier

Evidence about the Pleistocene stage is observed through glacier sequences. Soil and sea debris were
trapped between ice age deposits. From these deposits and surveys of the river terraces of the Alps, it is
estimated that the Pleistocene experienced nearly 11 glacial periods separated by the interglacial
period. The climate during the interglacial period is similar to today. These assumptions were made from
the study of deep ocean sediments and the debris of inhabiting microorganisms. Marine isotope records
have been an excellent way to record Pleistocene terrestrial climate events.

Further evidence of the Pleistocene era is revealed through the study of loess. Loess is a term used to
build up dust and crevices caused by the wind. They are abundant in central China and form plateaus
and plateaus over 100 meters thick. The climate at the time this loess was formed was colder and drier
than it is today. Loess is not created by daily activities, but it took thousands of years for this loess to
deposit layer by layer. Therefore, these losses include colorful deposits formed when the climate is
warmer and more humid. Another sequence of loess deposits can be found in the regions of Slovakia,
Austria and the Czech Republic, where loess blankets cover the terraces of large rivers. Evidence of
climate change is also supported by the remains of snail shells buried in the ground.

Great Ice Age During the Pleistocene, the earth was covered with large ice sheets, ice caps, and glaciers
in long valleys. The largest ice sheet included the Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America which stretched
from Canadian Rocky Mountains to the Nova Scotia, from west to east and southern Illinois to the
Canadian Arctic, from north to south. These ice sheets covered most of the northern hemisphere but
also extended to the equator. Great Britain, Germany, Poland and extended to the Russian continent, all
were covered with the ice sheets. Other areas that get covered during the glaciations were New
Zealand, Africa, and Tasmania.

Life During Pleistocene The species during the Pleistocene epoch were much alike today`s but some
important differences occurred. Frequent climate change has led to large-scale migration and
evolutionary adaptation, as well as some extinctions. Important signs were the evolution of Homo
sapiens and the extinction of large mammals. Glacial action affected the development of large mammals
adapted to colder habitats. The most common of them were Mammuthus, Woolly Rhinoceros, Elk, and
Reindeer. The temperate zone was inhabited by mammals such as mastodons, bison, elephants, hippo
and horses. The most important evolution was the evolution of the genus Homo. The early inhabitants
were Homo habilis, developed from the late Pliocene Australopithecus. Evolution is observed through
the development of Homo erectus in Africa and its spread to parts of the Old World. After them came
H. neanderthalensis, a species close to humans today, mainly inhabiting Europe and West Asia.