Quaternary period

The Quaternary period began about 2.6 million years ago and continues today. Throughout it, Earth's climate has repeatedly alternated between colder glacial periods, when ice sheets expanded, and warmer interglacial periods, when ice retreated. The last major glacial period ended approximately 12,000 years ago; we now live in an interglacial period.

The Quaternary period covers approximately the last 2.6 million years. During this period, Earth's climate has repeatedly alternated between colder glacial periods and warmer interglacial periods. During glacials, large ice sheets expanded across much of northern Europe and North America.

The Quaternary period began approximately 2.6 million years ago and continues today. Its climate has repeatedly alternated between colder glacial periods, when glaciers and ice sheets expanded, and warmer interglacial periods, when they retreated. This was not a smooth progression from cold to warm: temperatures rose and fell through repeated cycles.