Quaternary climate change refers to the dramatic, cyclical shifts between cold glacial (ice age) and warm interglacial periods over the last 2.6 million years, driven primarily by Earth’s orbital variations (Milankovitch cycles). This period saw massive ice sheets advance and retreat, altering sea levels, landscapes, and ecosystems, leading to significant biological adaptation and extinction, and eventually setting the stage for human evolution and impact.
« Back to Glossary IndexQuaternary climate change
