Present knowledge of late Cenozoic glaciation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/BP/1973/23/5Keywords:
Cenosoic, Pleistocene, glaciations, climate cooling, reviewAbstract
Pleistocene Epoch was traditionally considered a glacial time, unlike other Cenozoic epochs. The paper is a review of numerous local studies worldwide showing that cool-climate fluctuations were present long before Pleistocene. The presence of glaciers in the Pleistocene was not unique among Cenozoic epochs, although it may have been unique as to the presence of mid-latitude ice sheets. The author strongly supports establishing the boundary between the Pliocene and Pleistocene based on the evolution of organisms (like all previous stratigraphic boundaries) rather than climate cooling. He rejects the hypothesis linking the occurrence of ice ages to sudden, very rare events and advocates an alternative concept pointing to regional uplift as at least a partial cause.
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