CHRONOLOGY OF THE MAJOR ICE AGES

CHRONOLOGY OF THE MAJOR ICE AGES

Time   (years)       Event

10,000–present     Present interglacial

15,000–10,000     Melting of ice sheets

20,000–18,000     Last glacial maximum

100,000                Most recent glacial episode

1 million                First major interglacial

3 million                First glacial episode in Northern Hemisphere

4 million                Ice covers Greenland and the Arctic Ocean

15 million              Second major glacial episode in Antarctica

30 million              First major glacial episode in Antarctica

65 million              Climate deteriorates; poles become much colder

250–65                million Interval of warm and relatively uniform climate

250 million            The great Permian ice age

700 million            The great Precambrian ice age

2.4 billion              First major ice age