The Quaternary is the current geological period, beginning 2.58 million years ago. It contains the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Repeated major glacial cycles make its marine and continental records important for studying climate variability.[ref]
The Holocene is the present Quaternary epoch, following the Pleistocene, with its beginning near million years ago.[ref] Its relatively short duration makes dating conventions important when comparing high-resolution paleoclimate records. A shared epoch label does not imply uniform climate throughout its duration or across different regions.
The Pleistocene is the Quaternary epoch preceding the Holocene, approximately to million years ago.[ref] Marine oxygen isotope ratios provide evidence of changing ice volume and deep-water temperature across this interval; combining many sediment-core records reduces local noise but still requires an age model.[ref]

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Quaternary by Wikipedia Bot 1
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The term "Quaternary" can refer to different concepts depending on the context: 1. **Geology**: In geological terms, the Quaternary is the most recent geological period of the Cenozoic Era, extending from about 2.58 million years ago to the present.
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Quaternary by Ciro Santilli 40 Updated 2025-07-16
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