WHAT IS THE HOLOCENE?

Present geological epoch, which began some 10,000 (bp) years ago (8300 bc). It falls within the Quaternary period (one of the four main divisions of the Earth’s history) and followed the Pleistocene Ice Age. The Holocene is marked by rising temperatures throughout the world and the retreat of the ice sheets. During this epoch, agriculture became the most common human subsistence practice. During the Holocene, Homo sapiens diversified his tool technology, organized his habitat more efficiently, and adapted his way of life. The Holocene stage/series includes all deposits younger than the top of either the Wisconsinian stage of the Pleistocene series in North America or the Würm/Weichsel in Europe.

WHAT IS THE CENOZOIC ?

CENOZOIC: The most recent geological era in the Earth’s history, in which mammals came to dominate animal life. The Cenozoic runs from 66.4 million years ago to the present and began when Asia acquired its present appearance and mammals came to dominate animal life. The most important tectonic event in the Cenozoic history of Asia was its collision with India some 50 million years ago. This collision took place some 2100 km (1250 miles) farther south of the present location of the line of collision along the Indus–Brahmaputra suture behind the main range of the Himalayas. The Cenozoic includes the Tertiary and Quaternary periods.

WHAT IS THE AMBER ?

AMBER: Fossilized pine resin, a transparent yellow, orange, or reddishbrownmaterial from coniferous trees. It is amorphous, having a specific gravity of 1.05–1.10 and a hardness of 2–2.5 on the Mohs scale, and has two varieties – gray and yellow. Amber was appreciated and popular in antiquity for its beauty and its supposed magical properties. The southeast coast of the Baltic Sea is its major source in Europe, with lesser sources near the North Sea and in the Mediterranean. Amber is washed up by the sea. There is evidence of a strong trade in amber up the Elbe, Vistula, Danube, and into the Adriatic Sea area. The trade began in the Early Bronze Age and expanded greatly with the Mycenaeans and again with the Iron Age peoples of Italy. The Phoenicians were also specialist traders in amber. The soft material was sometimes carved for beads and necklaces.

WHAT IS THE ALTITHERMAL ?

ALTITHERMAL: A warm, dry postglacial period in the western United States c. 5600–2500 bc. Coined by Ernst Antev in 1948, the term describes a time during which temperatures were warmer than at present. Other terms, like “long drought,” are also used.

WHAT IS THE ALLEROD OSCILLATION ?

ALLEROD OSCILLATION: An interstadial (transient) period of glacial retreat at the close of the Würm glacial stage in Europe, dated to c. 12,000– 11,000 years ago. This temporary increase in warmth allowed forests to establish themselves for a time in the ice-free zones. Radiocarbon dates show similar conditions prevailed in North America at about the same time. It was followed by another cold, glacial advance.