Holocene Epoch

Holocene Epoch Latest News

A Fossil Bed dating back to the Holocene period has been recently discovered in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

About Holocene Epoch

• It is the current period of geologic time. 
• The term was introduced by Gervais in 1869 and was accepted as part of valid geological nomenclature by the International Geological Congress in 1885. 
• Another term that is sometimes used is the ‘’Anthropocene Epoch’’, because its primary characteristic is the global changes caused by human activity.
• The Holocene Epoch began 12,000 to 11,500 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age (the Pleistocene Epoch) and continues to the present. 
• Continental motions are negligible over a span of only 10,000 years—less than a kilometer. However, ice melt caused world sea levels to rise about 35 meters in the early part of the Holocene.  
• It is marked by a significant warming trend and relative climate stability compared to the previous glacial period.
• The sediments of the Holocene, both continental and marine, cover the largest area of the globe of any epoch in the geologic record, but the Holocene is unique because it coincides with the late and post-Stone Age history of humankind. 
• Among interglacial periods, the Holocene is unique as the period in which more complex human civilisations and agriculture developed.
• It also encompasses within it the growth and impacts of the human species worldwide, including all its written history and overall significant transition toward urban living in the present.  
• The Holocene also witnessed significant technological advancements. From simple stone tools to complex machinery, the progress in technology has been staggering.

Source: NOA

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