The Ice Age is one of the most fascinating and mysterious periods in Earth’s history. From the snow-covered glaciers to the animals that roamed the frozen tundra, the Ice Age is an incredible time to explore. Here are the top 10 facts about the Ice Age that you need to know.
1. Earth has had at least five Ice Ages!
It is believed that Earth has had lots of Ice Ages.
However, there have been five major ones.
They all have different names which are Huronian, Cryogenian, Andean-Saharan, Karoo and Quaternary.
2. We are still in an Ice Age.
Believe it or not, we’re technically still in an Ice Age.
It’s called the Quaternary Ice Age.
You might wonder why it’s not really icy.
We are in the interglacial period, which is the warmer part of an Ice Age.
The current Ice Age started around 2.5 million years ago!
3. An Ice Age can happen if the temperature drops.
Scientists believe that an Ice Age happens when the temperature of Earth drops.
This can happen when it gets just a few degrees colder but over a long period of time.
It can be due to lots of factors including changes in the Earth’s orbit which can cause less Sun on Earth.
4. Lots of Ice Age animals are now extinct.
During the Ice Age there were lots of animals that don’t exist today.
That’s because they are now extinct.
Some of animals that roamed the Earth were the giant sloth, giant beaver, mammoth and mastodons.
Learn all about climate change below!
5. People lived around 35,000 years ago in the Ice Age.
Believe it or not, there were humans that existed in the Ice Age!
They were early humans, known as homo sapiens.
The conditions were tough and very cold.
They made lots of tools and would hunt for food.
6. Woolly rhinos existed!
You might have heard of the woolly mammoth, but have you ever heard of the woolly rhinoceros?
They existed too!
The woolly rhinoceros was covered with thick long hair which kept them warm in the cold temperatures.
They became extinct around 14,000 years ago.
7. Louis Agassiz was one of the scientists who discovered the Ice Age.
Geologists are scientists who study the history of the Earth.
There are lots of scientists involved in discovering what Earth was like in the past.
Louis Agassiz was a geologist who was very well-known for discovering the Ice Age.
He recognised that the conditions on Earth led to them.
8. There are two stages of an Ice Age.
That’s right! There are two stages of an Ice Age.
The first one is called the glacial period. This is when the glaciers are growing. It’s the cold part of the Ice Age.
The second stage of an Ice Age is interglacial. That is the stage we are in now.
It’s the warmer period where the glaciers are getting smaller.
9. The Glacial Period of the Ice Age ended 11,000 years ago.
As you have learnt above, there are two stages of an Ice Age.
The Glacial Period ended around 11,000 years ago.
10. Sea levels dropped during the Ice Age.
During the Ice Age, sea levels dropped as a lot of the water turned to ice.
The water had turned into glaciers and covered around a third of Earth.
They were around 122 metres lower than they are today!
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