59:
67:
34:
specifically, which tend to have their own names for phases, often with different names used for different parts of the world. The names for earlier periods and events come from
874:
70:
Ice core data for the past 400,000 years, with the present at right. Note length of glacial cycles averages ~100,000 years. Blue curve is temperature, green curve is CO
260:
177:
167:
914:
233:
223:
909:
798:: Various dates between 1250 and 1550 or later are held to mark the start of the Little ice age, ending at equally varied dates around 1850
274:
477:
256:
213:
869:
840:
836:
787:
716:
145:
884:
766:
682:
603:
506:
192:
904:
879:
728:
547:
284:
632:
warm and wet, global sea levels were 2.5 to 4 meters (8 to 13 feet) higher than the twentieth-century average
424:
101:
889:
466:
438:
27:
823:
781:
316:
111:
442:
773:
652:
592:
588:
402:
43:
738:
495:
481:
372:
131:
115:
693:
640:
618:
391:
135:
26:. Knowledge of precise climatic events decreases as the record goes further back in time. The
802:
752:
678:
607:
361:
305:
58:
23:
809:
742:
705:
697:
577:
521:
520:
All dates are BC (BCE) and approximate. "(B-S)" means this is one of the periods from the
335:
863:
846:
816:
795:
428:
181:
127:
79:
898:
827:
769:(535–536 AD), sudden cooling and failure of harvests, perhaps caused by volcanic dust
491:
320:
202:
850:
777:
413:
294:
245:
39:
375:, not to be confused with the Last Glacial Maximum or Late Glacial Maximum below.
701:
629:
555:
455:
156:
66:
667:
566:
47:
681:, cold, perhaps not global. Wetter in Europe, drier elsewhere, linked to the
334:
All dates are approximate. "(B-S)" means this is one of the periods from the
264:
551:
525:
339:
35:
31:
656:
708:
in
Mesopotamia, various archaeological cultures in Persia and China
580:(B-S), rising sea levels, forest replaces tundra in northern Europe
308:
became cooler and drier, and seasonal, similar to modern climates.
719:, a period of unusually cold climate in the North Atlantic region
776:, wet in Europe, arid in North America, may have depopulated the
569:
sharp rise in temperature over 50 years (B-S), precedes Boreal
405:, what is often meant in popular usage by "Last Ice Age"
458:
cold, interrupts warm period for some centuries (B-S)
741:
cold in North
Atlantic. Perhaps associated with the
323:, many named stages in different parts of the world
244:Perhaps 30,000 years of volcanic activity form the
74:, and red curve is windblown glacial dust (loess).
46:(MIS) are often used to express dating within the
180:, in two bursts, after cooling perhaps caused by
655:, Neolithic Subpluvial in North Africa, expands
524:sequence, originally based on studies of Danish
380:The following events also fall into this period.
338:sequence, originally based on studies of Danish
509:A warm period about 4.9 °C warmer than the LGM
441:warm and wet in the North Atlantic, begins the
22:includes some notable climate events known to
20:list of periods and events in climate history
8:
875:Climate across Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
416:cold, begins slowly and ends sharply (B-S)
530:
344:
84:
65:
57:
148:; like the next two, little understood
780:of North America, associated with the
261:Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
7:
248:in India, or a large meteor impact.
178:Ordovician–Silurian extinction event
168:Cambrian–Ordovician extinction event
62:500 million years of climate change
297:may have ended a long warm period
234:Triassic–Jurassic extinction event
14:
224:Permian–Triassic extinction event
214:Carboniferous rainforest collapse
118:perhaps covering the whole globe
870:Climate change (general concept)
275:Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum
841:instrumental temperature record
915:Events that forced the climate
837:Retreat of glaciers since 1850
494:sudden cold and dry period in
1:
826:, caused by volcanic dust of
478:Huelmo–Mascardi Cold Reversal
257:Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
82:, earlier dates approximate.
910:Climate change-related lists
717:Middle Bronze Age Cold Epoch
319:, with permanent ice on the
146:End-Botomian mass extinction
885:Geologic temperature record
700:, linked to the end of the
931:
849:, perhaps to be named the
819:low sunspot activity, cold
767:Climate changes of 535-536
683:domestication of the horse
54:Before 1 million years ago
788:Great Famine of 1315–1317
610:in northern Europe (B-S)
604:Holocene climatic optimum
507:Holocene climatic optimum
193:Andean-Saharan glaciation
78:Scale: Millions of years
880:Thermal history of Earth
845:Present and recent past
729:Late Bronze Age collapse
727:Possibly triggering the
696:dry, lasted most of the
548:Holocene glacial retreat
285:Eocene Thermal Maximum 2
236:, causes as yet unclear
469:warm & moist (B-S)
425:Antarctic Cold Reversal
102:Faint young Sun paradox
890:Timeline of prehistory
212:Cooler climate causes
75:
63:
28:timeline of glaciation
824:Year Without a Summer
782:Medieval renaissances
595:in North Africa, wet
317:Quaternary glaciation
126:Later Neoproterozoic
112:Great Oxidation Event
69:
61:
44:marine isotope stages
812:low sunspot activity
774:Medieval Warm Period
653:African humid period
593:African humid period
589:Neolithic Subpluvial
403:Last Glacial Maximum
394:wet in North Africa
364:wet in North Africa
739:Iron Age Cold Epoch
496:Northern Hemisphere
482:Southern Hemisphere
467:Allerød oscillation
439:Bølling oscillation
373:Last Glacial Period
134:, precursor to the
132:Marinoan glaciation
116:Huronian glaciation
704:in Egypt, and the
694:4.2-kiloyear event
641:5.9 kiloyear event
619:8.2-kiloyear event
427:warmer Antarctic,
392:Mousterian Pluvial
136:Cambrian explosion
114:probably leads to
76:
64:
758:
757:
753:Roman Warm Period
685:in Central Asia.
679:Piora Oscillation
670:in North America
513:
512:
327:
326:
159:extinction event
922:
531:
452:(much discussed)
362:Abbassia Pluvial
345:
306:Pliocene climate
263:, extinction of
85:
24:paleoclimatology
930:
929:
925:
924:
923:
921:
920:
919:
905:Climate history
895:
894:
860:
810:Maunder Minimum
763:
743:Homeric Minimum
706:Akkadian Empire
698:22nd century BC
535:
522:Blytt-Sernander
518:
451:
443:Bølling-Allerød
376:
349:
336:Blytt-Sernander
332:
89:
73:
56:
12:
11:
5:
928:
926:
918:
917:
912:
907:
897:
896:
893:
892:
887:
882:
877:
872:
867:
864:Climate change
859:
856:
855:
854:
847:global warming
843:
833:
832:
831:
820:
817:Dalton Minimum
813:
806:
803:Spörer Minimum
796:Little Ice Age
793:
792:
791:
770:
762:
759:
756:
755:
750:
746:
745:
736:
732:
731:
725:
721:
720:
714:
710:
709:
691:
687:
686:
676:
672:
671:
665:
661:
660:
649:
645:
644:
643:dry and cold.
638:
634:
633:
627:
623:
622:
616:
612:
611:
601:
597:
596:
586:
582:
581:
575:
571:
570:
564:
560:
559:
558:period begins
550:, the present
545:
541:
540:
537:
517:
514:
511:
510:
504:
500:
499:
489:
485:
484:
475:
471:
470:
464:
460:
459:
453:
450:12,400–11,500
447:
446:
436:
432:
431:
429:sea level rise
422:
418:
417:
411:
407:
406:
400:
396:
395:
389:
385:
384:
370:
366:
365:
359:
358:118,000–88,000
355:
354:
351:
331:
328:
325:
324:
314:
313:2.5 to present
310:
309:
303:
299:
298:
292:
288:
287:
282:
278:
277:
272:
268:
267:
254:
250:
249:
242:
238:
237:
231:
227:
226:
221:
217:
216:
210:
206:
205:
200:
196:
195:
190:
186:
185:
182:tectonic plate
175:
171:
170:
165:
161:
160:
154:
150:
149:
143:
139:
138:
128:Snowball Earth
124:
120:
119:
109:
105:
104:
99:
95:
94:
91:
80:before present
71:
55:
52:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
927:
916:
913:
911:
908:
906:
903:
902:
900:
891:
888:
886:
883:
881:
878:
876:
873:
871:
868:
865:
862:
861:
857:
852:
848:
844:
842:
838:
835:1850–present
834:
829:
828:Mount Tambora
825:
821:
818:
814:
811:
807:
804:
800:
799:
797:
794:
789:
786:
785:
783:
779:
775:
771:
768:
765:
764:
761:Common Era/AD
760:
754:
751:
749:250 BC–400 AD
748:
747:
744:
740:
737:
734:
733:
730:
726:
723:
722:
718:
715:
712:
711:
707:
703:
699:
695:
692:
689:
688:
684:
680:
677:
674:
673:
669:
666:
663:
662:
658:
654:
650:
647:
646:
642:
639:
636:
635:
631:
628:
625:
624:
620:
617:
614:
613:
609:
605:
602:
599:
598:
594:
590:
587:
584:
583:
579:
576:
573:
572:
568:
565:
562:
561:
557:
553:
549:
546:
543:
542:
538:
533:
532:
529:
527:
523:
515:
508:
505:
502:
501:
497:
493:
492:Younger Dryas
490:
487:
486:
483:
479:
476:
473:
472:
468:
465:
463:12,000–11,000
462:
461:
457:
454:
449:
448:
445:period (B-S)
444:
440:
437:
434:
433:
430:
426:
423:
420:
419:
415:
412:
410:16,000–13,000
409:
408:
404:
401:
399:26,500–19,000
398:
397:
393:
390:
388:48,000–28,000
387:
386:
382:
381:
374:
371:
369:108,000–8,000
368:
367:
363:
360:
357:
356:
352:
347:
346:
343:
341:
337:
329:
322:
321:polar regions
318:
315:
312:
311:
307:
304:
301:
300:
296:
293:
290:
289:
286:
283:
280:
279:
276:
273:
270:
269:
266:
262:
258:
255:
252:
251:
247:
243:
240:
239:
235:
232:
229:
228:
225:
222:
219:
218:
215:
211:
208:
207:
204:
203:Karoo Ice Age
201:
198:
197:
194:
191:
188:
187:
183:
179:
176:
173:
172:
169:
166:
163:
162:
158:
155:
152:
151:
147:
144:
141:
140:
137:
133:
129:
125:
122:
121:
117:
113:
110:
107:
106:
103:
100:
97:
96:
92:
87:
86:
83:
81:
68:
60:
53:
51:
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
16:
866:(modern day)
851:Anthropocene
778:Great Plains
724:Bond Event 2
519:
488:10,800–9,500
474:11,400–9,500
414:Oldest Dryas
379:
378:
333:
295:Azolla event
246:Deccan Traps
98:Before 1,000
77:
40:paleontology
19:
17:
15:
702:Old Kingdom
675:3,200–2,900
651:End of the
630:Older Peron
556:Postglacial
544:From 10,000
503:9,500–5,500
456:Older Dryas
330:Pleistocene
157:Dresbachian
899:Categories
815:1790–1830
808:1656–1715
801:1460–1550
784:in Europe
668:Neopluvial
567:Pre-Boreal
48:Quaternary
790:in Europe
772:900–1300
713:1800–1500
626:5000–4100
600:7000–3000
585:7500–3900
574:8500–6900
526:peat bogs
340:peat bogs
265:dinosaurs
184:movement
858:See also
830:eruption
664:3000 – 0
608:Atlantic
552:Holocene
516:Holocene
480:cold in
32:ice ages
735:900–300
659:Desert
302:5.3–2.6
199:360–260
174:450–440
123:650–600
36:geology
30:covers
853:period
657:Sahara
578:Boreal
539:Event
498:(B-S)
435:12,400
421:12,700
353:Event
93:Event
42:. The
822:1816
621:cold
606:, or
230:199.6
220:251.9
164:485.4
108:2,400
90:(Mya)
805:cold
690:2200
648:3500
637:3900
615:6200
563:9400
536:(BC)
534:Date
350:(BC)
348:Date
281:53.7
271:55.8
259:and
88:Date
38:and
18:The
554:or
209:305
189:450
153:502
142:517
130:or
901::
839:,
528:.
383:)
342:.
291:49
253:66
241:66
50:.
591:/
377:(
72:2
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