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Quaternary

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A stunning view of Earth from space, showing our planet as a beautiful blue marble.

The Quaternary is the name for the time we live in now. It is the most recent part of Earth's long history. It began about 2.6 million years ago and continues today.

The Quaternary has two main parts. The first part is called the Pleistocene. It lasted from 2.6 million years ago until about 12,000 years ago. During this time, big ice sheets covered parts of the world. The second part is the Holocene. It started around 12,000 years ago and is the time we live in today.

Scientists first used the word "quaternary" to describe rock layers in France. They noticed these layers were younger than others. The Quaternary is special because we know a lot about it. Many plants, animals, and even early humans lived during this time. Big changes in climate shaped the world we see today.

Images

A map showing Earth during the last ice age, highlighting how the planet looked when glaciers covered large areas.
A world map drawn using the Mollweide projection, showing Earth’s geography in a distorted oval shape to represent the entire planet.
A stunning satellite view of Earth from space, showing land, oceans, ice, and clouds.
A diagram showing the layers of rock in the Williston Basin, helping us learn about Earth's history.

Related articles

Pleistocene
Holocene
France
Climate

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Quaternary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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