page_title: Quaternary glaciation
hierarchical_section_title: Quaternary glaciation
caption_attribution_description: English: Northern Hemisphere glaciation during the last ice ages. The accumulation of 3 to 4 km thick ice sheets caused a sea level lowering of about 120 m. Also, the Alps and the Himalayas were covered by glaciers. Winter sea ice coverage was much more limited in the south. Español: Glaciación del hemisferio del norte durante el último periodo glaciar. La acumulación de 3-4 kilometros de hielo hizo descender el nivel del mar alrededor de 120 metros. También los Alpes y el Himalaya fueron cubiertos por glaciares. El hielo marítimo durante el invierno era más reducido en el sur. Italiano: Glaciazione dell'emisfero boreale durante l'ultima glaciazione. L'accumulo di strati di ghiaccio spessi da 3 a 4 km causò un abbassamento del livello del mare di circa 120 m e le Alpi e la catena dell'Himalaya erano coperti da ghiacciai. Durante l'inverno, i ghiacci sul mare erano molto più ridotti a sud. Polski: Zlodowacenie półkuli północnej podczas maksimum ostatniego zlodowacenia. Utworzenie warstwy pokrywy śnieżnej o grubości od 3 do 4 km spowodowało globalne obniżenie poziomu mórz o około 120 m. Także Alpy i Himalaje zostały pokryte przez lodowce. W czasie zimy pokrycie morza lodem było znacznie ograniczone na południu. Русский: Северное полушарие Земли во время максимального оледенения. Уровень Мирового океана упал на 120 м из-за расхода воды на 3–4-километровые ледники. Льдами были покрыты Альпы и Гималаи. Зимние льды в море простирались не столь далеко. Українська: Північна півкуля Землі під час останнього заледеніння. Рівень Світового океану впав на 120 м через витрати води на 3–4-кілометрові льодовики. Льодом були вкриті Альпи та Гімалаї. Зимовий лід в морі простягався не дуже далеко.
context_page_description: The Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, is an alternating series of glacial and interglacial periods during the Quaternary period that began 2.58 Ma, and is ongoing. Although geologists describe the entire time period as an "ice age", in popular culture the term "ice age" is usually associated with just the most recent glacial period during the Pleistocene. Since the planet Earth still has ice sheets, geologists consider the Quaternary glaciation to be ongoing, with the Earth now experiencing an interglacial period.
  During the Quaternary glaciation, ice sheets appeared. During glacial periods they expanded, and during interglacial periods they contracted. Since the end of the last glacial period the only surviving ice sheets are the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Other ice sheets, such as the Laurentide Ice Sheet, formed during glacial periods and completely disappeared during interglacials.
context_section_description: The Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, is an alternating series of glacial and interglacial periods during the Quaternary period that began 2.58 Ma (million years ago), and is ongoing. Although geologists describe the entire time period as an "ice age", in popular culture the term "ice age" is usually associated with just the most recent glacial period during the Pleistocene. Since the planet Earth still has ice sheets, geologists consider the Quaternary glaciation to be ongoing, with the Earth now experiencing an interglacial period.
  During the Quaternary glaciation, ice sheets appeared.  During glacial periods they expanded, and during interglacial periods they contracted.  Since the end of the last glacial period the only surviving ice sheets are the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.  Other ice sheets, such as the Laurentide Ice Sheet, formed during glacial periods and completely disappeared during interglacials. The major effects of the Quaternary glaciation, have been the erosion of land and the deposition of material, both over large parts of the continents; the modification of river systems; the creation of millions of lakes, including the development of pluvial lakes far from the ice margins; changes in sea level; the isostatic adjustment of the Earth's crust; flooding; and abnormal winds. The ice sheets themselves, by raising the albedo (the extent to which the radiant energy of the Sun is reflected from Earth) created significant feedback to further cool the climate. These effects have shaped entire environments on land and in the oceans, and their associated biological communities.
  Before the Quaternary glaciation, land-based ice appeared, and then disappeared, during at least four other ice ages.
caption: Northern Hemisphere glaciation during the Last Glacial Maximum. The creation of 3 to 4 km (1.9 to 2.5 mi) thick ice sheets equate to a global sea level drop of about 120 m (390 ft).
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