Pleistocene

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pleistocene

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geological epoch?Pleistocene
2. What is the time span?Approximately 2.58 million to 11,700 years Before Present (BP)
3. What was the Pleistocene and why is it called the Ice Age?The Pleistocene was a time from about 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago when the Earth had repeating cold and warm periods. It is called the Ice Age because big ice sheets covered large parts of the world.
4. How did the ice sheets affect sea level and land connections?When the ice sheets were at their biggest, sea level dropped up to 120 meters, exposing shelves and making land bridges like Beringia that let animals and humans travel between Asia and North America.

Epoch: A distinct and significant period within a geological era, characterized by specific geological and climatic conditions.
Glacial Cycle: The recurring pattern of cold glacial periods and warmer interglacial periods that characterized the Pleistocene.
Mid-Pleistocene Transition: A significant shift in glacial cycle periodicity from 41,000-year cycles to more extreme 100,000-year cycles.
Beringia: A prehistoric land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska during periods of low sea level, facilitating migration.