The Pleistocene is the epoch that lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago. It was a time of dramatic changes in the Earth’s climate and environment. The Pleistocene is sometimes called the Ice Age because it was a time when glaciers covered much of the Earth’s surface.
The Pleistocene began with a period of global warming. The ice sheets that had formed during the previous glaciation melted away. Sea levels rose, and the Earth’s climate became warmer and more humid. This warm period lasted for about 10,000 years, until a sudden cooling event known as the Younger Dryas occurred. The Younger Dryas caused glaciers to reform and sea levels to drop.
Over the next few thousand years, the climate fluctuated between warm periods and cool periods. Finally, around 11,700 years ago, the Earth entered into another warm period known as the Holocene Epoch. This is the epoch in which we currently live.