The last geological and current Quaternary period was identified in 1829 by the scientist Jules Denoyer. In Russia, it is also called anthropogenic. The author of this name in 1922 was the geologist Alexei Pavlov. With his initiative, he wanted to emphasize that this particular period is associated with the appearance of man.
Uniqueness of the period
Compared to other geological periods, the Quaternary period is characterized by an extremely short duration (only 1.65 million years). Continuing today, it remains unfinished. Another feature is the presence in the Quaternary deposits of the remains of human culture. This period is characterized by multiple and abrupt climatic changes that dramatically affected natural conditions.
Recurring cold snaps led to glaciation of northern latitudes and humidification of low latitudes. Warming caused exactly the opposite effect. Sedimentary formations of the last millennia are distinguished by the complex structure of the section, the relative short duration of formation, and the diversity of layers. The Quaternary period is divided into two epochs (or divisions): Pleistocene and Holocene. The border between them lies at the mark of 12 thousand years ago.
Migrations of flora and fauna
From its very beginning, the Quaternary period was characterized by close to the modern flora and fauna. Changes in this fund depended entirely on a series of cooling and warming periods. With the onset of glaciation, cold-loving species migrated south and mixed with strangers. During periods of increasing average temperatures, the reverse process occurred. At that time, the area of settlement of moderately warm, subtropical and tropical flora and fauna greatly expanded. Entire tundra associations of the organic world disappeared for a while.
Flora had to adapt several times to radically changing conditions of existence. Many cataclysms during this time marked the Quaternary period. Climatic swings have led to the impoverishment of broad-leaved and evergreen forms, as well as the expansion of the range of herbaceous species.
Evolution of mammals
The most noticeable changes in the animal world have affected mammals (especially ungulates and proboscis of the Northern Hemisphere). In the Pleistocene, due to sharp climatic changes, many heat-loving species died out. At the same time, for the same reason, new animals appeared, better adapted to life in harsh natural conditions. The extinction of the fauna reached its peak during the Dnieper glaciation (300 - 250 thousand years ago). At the same time, the cooling determined the formation of the platformcover in the Quaternary period.
At the end of the Pliocene, the south of Eastern Europe was home to mastodons, southern elephants, hipparions, saber-toothed tigers, Etruscan rhinos, etc. In the west of the Old World lived ostriches and hippos. However, already in the early Pleistocene, the animal world began to change radically. With the onset of the Dnieper glaciation, many heat-loving species moved to the south. The distribution area of the flora shifted in the same direction. The Cenozoic era (the Quaternary period in particular) tested all forms of life.
Quarterary Bestiary
On the southern borders of the glacier, for the first time, such species as mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, musk musk ox, lemmings, white partridges appeared. All of them lived exclusively in cold regions. Cave lions, bears, hyenas, giant rhinoceros and other heat-loving animals that used to live in these regions have become extinct.
The cold climate has settled in the Caucasus, in the Alps, the Carpathians and the Pyrenees, which forced many species to leave the highlands and settle in the valleys. Woolly rhinos and mammoths even occupied southern Europe (not to mention all of Siberia, from where they got to North America). The relic fauna of Australia, South America, South and Central Africa has been preserved due to its own isolation from the rest of the world. Mammoths and other animals, well adapted to the harsh climate, died out at the beginning of the Holocene. It is worth noting that despite numerous glaciations, about 2/3 of the Earth's surface has never been affected by an ice sheet.
Human development
As mentioned above, the various definitions of the Quaternary period cannot do without "anthropogenic". The rapid development of man is the most important event of this entire historical period. East Africa is considered to be the place where the most ancient people appeared today.
The ancestral form of modern man is Australopithecus, which belonged to the hominid family. According to various estimates, they first appeared in Africa 5 million years ago. Australopithecus gradually became upright and omnivorous. About 2 million years ago, they learned how to make primitive tools. Thus, a skilled man appeared. A million years ago, Pithecanthropus formed, the remains of which are found in Germany, Hungary and China.
Neanderthals and modern humans
350 thousand years ago, paleoanthropes (or Neanderthals) appeared, extinct 35 thousand years ago. Traces of their activity have been found in the southern and temperate latitudes of Europe. Paleoanthropes were replaced by modern people (neoanthropes or homo sapines). They were the first to enter America and Australia, and also colonized numerous islands in several oceans.
Early the earliest neoanthropes were almost no different from today's people. They adapted well and quickly to climatic changes and skillfully learned how to work stone. These hominids acquired bone products, primitive musical instruments, fine arts,embellishments.
The Quaternary period in the south of Russia left numerous archaeological sites related to neoanthropes. However, they also reached the northernmost regions. People learned to survive the cold snap with the help of fur clothes and fires. Therefore, for example, the Quaternary period of Western Siberia was also marked by the expansion of people who tried to develop new territories. The Bronze Age began 5,000 years ago, and the Iron Age 3,000 years ago. At the same time, centers of ancient civilization were born in Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Mediterranean.
Mineral resources
Scientists have divided into several groups the minerals that the Quaternary period has left us. Deposits of the last millenniums belong to various placers, non-metallic and combustible materials, ores of sedimentary origin. Coastal and alluvial deposits are known. The most important Quaternary minerals are: gold, diamonds, platinum, cassiterite, ilmenite, rutile, zircon.
In addition, iron ores of lacustrine and lacustrine-marsh origin are of great importance. This group also includes manganese and copper-vanadium deposits. Such accumulations are common in the oceans.
Subsoil we alth
Equatorial and tropical Quaternary rocks continue to erode even today. As a result of this process, laterite is formed. Such a formation is covered with aluminum and iron and isimportant African minerals. Metaliferous crusts of the same latitudes are rich in deposits of nickel, cob alt, copper, manganese, and refractory clays.
In the Quaternary period, important non-metallic minerals also appeared. These are gravels (they are widely used in construction), molding and glass sands, potash and rock s alts, sulfur, borates, peat, and lignite. Quaternary sediments contain groundwater, which is the main source of clean drinking water. Do not forget about permafrost and ice. In general, the last geological period remains the crowning achievement of the Earth's geological evolution, which began more than 4.5 billion years ago.
