Interglacial

An interglacial period is a time when the Earth gets warmer for thousands of years. This happens between colder times called glacial periods. These warmer times occur during an ice age, when much of the world is covered in ice.

We are currently living in an interglacial period named the Holocene. It began about 11,700 years ago, after a colder time known as the Pleistocene. During interglacials, ice sheets get smaller, temperatures go up, and life on Earth changes in many ways.

These periods help us understand how our climate has changed over time and what might happen in the future. By looking at past interglacials, scientists can learn more about the Earth’s natural climate patterns.

Pleistocene

During the Pleistocene, which lasted about 2.5 million years, Earth had many cycles of cold and warm weather. The cold times are called glacials. During glacials, large ice sheets covered parts of North America and Europe.

Between these cold times were warmer periods called interglacials. During interglacials, the climate became warmer. The icy tundra moved farther north, and forests grew back in places that were once cold and icy.

Scientists study these changes by looking at fossils, pollen, and other clues left behind. They also look at ice and ocean sediment to learn about past temperatures and ice levels. These warm periods help us understand Earth's history.

Specific interglacials

The Earth has had several warm periods called interglacials. These are times when the climate was much warmer than during cold glacial periods. Here are the last six interglacials:

• Marine Isotope Stage 13 (524–474 thousand years ago).
• Hoxnian / Holstein / Mindel-Riss / Marine Isotope Stage 11 (424–374 thousand years ago).
• Purfleet Interglacial / Marine Isotope Stage 9 (337–300 thousand years ago).
• La Bouchet Interglacial / Arousa Interglacial / Aveley Interglacial / Marine Isotope Stage 7e (242–230 thousand years ago).
• Last Interglacial / Eemian / Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130–115 thousand years ago).
• Holocene (12,000 years ago to the present).

Each of these times brought warmer temperatures and changes to plants and animals. The most recent interglacial, the Holocene, is the warm period we are living in today.