Quaternary Period

Meaning

The Quaternary Period refers to the last 2.4 million years in the Earths history. In the geological timescale it follows the Tertiary Period and is made up of the Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs. It is defined by its climate which is a succession of glacial and interglacial periods. Glacial periods being dominated by cooler climates and the extension of the polar ice sheets.