Wolstonian glaciation
Encyclopedia
The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene
stage of the geological history of earth
that precedes the Ipswichian Stage (Eemian Stage in Europe
) and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles. The Wolstonian Stage apparently includes three periods of glaciation. The Wolstonian Stage is temporally analogous to the Warthe Stage and Saalian Stage in northern Europe and the Riss glaciation in the Alps
, and temporally equivalent to all of the Illinoian Stage and the youngest part of the Pre-Illinoian Stage in North America. It is contemporaneous with the North American Pre-Illinoian A, Early Illinoian, and Late Illinoian glaciations. The Wolstonian Stage is equivalent to Marine Isotope stages 6 through 10. It started 352,000 years ago and ended 130,000 years ago.
The Wolstonian Stage was named after the site of Wolston
in the English county of Warwickshire
where corresponding deposits were first identified. Acheulian flint tools have been found in Wolstonian deposits.
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
stage of the geological history of earth
Geological history of Earth
The geological history of Earth follows the major events in Earth's past based on the geologic time scale, a system of chronological measurement based on the study of the planet's rock layers...
that precedes the Ipswichian Stage (Eemian Stage in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
) and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles. The Wolstonian Stage apparently includes three periods of glaciation. The Wolstonian Stage is temporally analogous to the Warthe Stage and Saalian Stage in northern Europe and the Riss glaciation in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, and temporally equivalent to all of the Illinoian Stage and the youngest part of the Pre-Illinoian Stage in North America. It is contemporaneous with the North American Pre-Illinoian A, Early Illinoian, and Late Illinoian glaciations. The Wolstonian Stage is equivalent to Marine Isotope stages 6 through 10. It started 352,000 years ago and ended 130,000 years ago.
The Wolstonian Stage was named after the site of Wolston
Wolston
Wolston is a village and civil parish in the Rugby borough of Warwickshire, England. The village is located roughly halfway between Rugby and Coventry, and has a population of about 2,300. It is close to the A45 road and the Roman road the Fosse Way....
in the English county of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
where corresponding deposits were first identified. Acheulian flint tools have been found in Wolstonian deposits.
External links
- Aber, J.S., 2006, Regional Glaciation of Kansas and Nebraska, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas.
- anonymous, 2007, Global correlation tables for the Quaternary, Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.
- Gibbard, P., 2008a, Map 6. (Fluvial) Palaeogeography during the Saalian (Drenthe Substage) / Wolstonian glacial maximum. North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, Cambridge, England. (Includes PDF file of map)
- Gibbard, P., 2008b, Map 7: Maximum extent of the glaciation during the Saalian / Drenthe / Dneipr Stage (late Middle Pleistocene). North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, Cambridge, England. (Includes PDF file of map)
- Gibbard, P., 2008c, Map 8: Latest Saalian to early Weichselian drainage during sea level lowstand. North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, Cambridge, England. (Includes PDF file of map)
- Hallberg, G. R., ed., 1980, Illinoian and Pre-Illinoian stratigraphy of southeast Iowa and adjacent Illinois., PDF version 19.3 MB. Technical information Series. no. 11. Iowa Geological Survey Bureau, Ames, IA.
- Shotton, F.W., nd, East Anglia and the English Midlands. Ice Age Britain., The Shotton Project, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England.
Further reading
- Bowen, D.Q., 1978, Quaternary geology: a stratigraphic framework for multidisciplinary work. Pergamon Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. 221 pp. ISBN 978-0080204093
- Ehlers, J., and P.L. Gibbard, 2004a, Quaternary Glaciations: Extent and Chronology 2: Part II North America, Elsevier, Amsterdam. ISBN 0-444-51462-7
- Ehlers, J., P. L. Gibbard, and J. Rose, eds., 1991, Glacial deposits in Great Britain and Ireland. Balkema, Rotterdam. 580 pp ISBN 978-9061918752
- Mangerud, J., J. Ehlers, and P. Gibbard, 2004, Quaternary Glaciations: Extent and Chronology 1: Part I Europe, Elsevier, Amsterdam. ISBN 0-444-51462-7
- Sibrava, V., Bowen, D.Q, and Richmond, G.M., 1986, Quaternary Glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere, Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 5, pp. 1–514.
See also
- Ice ageIce ageAn ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
- Glacial periodGlacial periodA glacial period is an interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate within an ice age...
- Last glacial period
- Timeline of glaciationTimeline of glaciationThere have been five known ice ages in the Earth's history, with the Earth experiencing the Quaternary Ice Age during the present time. Within ice ages, there exist periods of more severe glacial conditions and more temperate referred to as glacial periods and interglacial periods, respectively...