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Two major glaciations have been identified on land in England during the Middle Pleistocene. The earliest occurred during the Anglian Stage (= Elsterian, c. Marine Isotope Stage, MIS 12), evidence for which is best developed in lowland Britain, as well as offshore in the southern North Sea and Irish Sea basins. The second took place during the late Middle Pleistocene, with the most compelling evidence found in the West Midlands, intermediate between the Hoxnian (= Holsteinian; broadly MIS 11) and Ipswichian (= Eemian; broadly MIS 5e) interglacial stages during the Late Wolstonian Substage. Until recently this younger glacial episode was less clearly represented in the Pleistocene record and, as a result, had been little studied and weakly defined. Interpreted as the Moreton Stadial glaciation during the Late Wolstonian Substage (= Late Saalian Substage/Drenthe Stadial, c. MIS 6), it was originally recognized in the English Midlands, subsequently being identified in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and northern East Anglia, and potentially further SW as far as the Bristol Channel. Mapping, in particular by members of the British Geological Survey, however, resulted in the Wolstonian Stage glacial deposits being thought to pre‐date the stage. This was particularly so in East Anglia where there was considerable controversy concerning the number and relationships of glacial sequences, during the 1970–1980s. Yet to the west of East Anglia there remained unequivocal evidence for glaciation during the stage, particularly in Fenland and the eastern English Midlands. Recent radiometric dating across lowland Britain on glacial sediments long thought to belong to a glaciation event in the Wolstonian Stage have now placed a geochronological control on the established regional stratigraphy and confirmed that glaciation occurred in two phases between 199 and 147 ka during the Late Wolstonian Substage. The glacial events of the British Middle Pleistocene can clearly be correlated with the European continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of a hillside at Gilson (Lat. 52.510341, Long. ‐1.718313), southwest of Coleshill, Warwickshire (within the High Speed Two railway 'Delta Junction' compound), England, has yielded evidence of sedimentation during a temperate stage. The site's stratigraphy starts with the aggregation of cold‐climate sand and gravels deposited during the Anglian Stage within the proto‐Tame and proto‐Blythe palaeovalleys. A warm‐climate period is recorded by the infill of organic material representing the second half of the Hoxnian interglacial Stage. Picea, Abies and Pinus dominate vegetation within a swamp‐like environment, before a Pinus forest develops in the upper part of the organic sequence. The following cold‐climate period saw incision and aggregation of the surrounding region throughout much of the Wolstonian and Devensian Stages, where much of the overlying silt, sand and gravel were reworked under intense periglacial conditions. Presented here is a geophysical examination of the shallow basin by ground‐penetrating radar undertaken to understand the spatial distribution and stratigraphical history of the basin. The deposits at Gilson provide a valuable stratigraphic marker in the glacial sequence of the English West Midlands and are correlated to similar deposits at neighbouring Quinton and Nechells. At these regional sites organic accumulation occurred for most of the temperate stage, infilling lake basins. These sequences indicate an environment dominated by pollen of Abies, Quercus, Ulmus and Corylus woodland vegetation. These assemblages differ markedly from those typically found in the last interglacial and confirm correlation to the Middle Pleistocene Hoxnian interglacial Stage (c. MIS 11c). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following collection of contributions presents both unique and synthesized regional evidence that provides considerable clarification regarding this part of the European Quaternary stratigraphical sequence. It is a reliable step forward to overcome an over‐simplistic view, because progress over recent years in many different fields has led to significant advances in our understanding regarding the interactions between environmental processes and climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a reconstruction of the marginal zone of the Anglian (Elsterian, 480–420 ka BP) age ice sheet in the Danbury‐Tiptree area, East Anglia, UK. The research area is a unique locality where the ice front abutted against a 30‐km‐long and 100‐m‐tall ridge in an otherwise lowland area. Observations from three main field localities (Danbury quarry, Royal Oak pit and Tiptree quarry) are complemented with ground penetrating radar survey data, borehole data analysis, laboratory analyses and geological map interpretation. A four‐stage model of the evolution of the landscape in the Danbury‐Tiptree area is presented. The results are of broader importance, in that the sedimentary record sheds light on the processes operating at a constrained ice‐sheet margin. The paper identifies the most important characteristics of the depositional environments at an ice front terminating within this type of setting: (i) high temporal and spatial variability of energetic depositional conditions, resulting in the presence of a vast array of distinct depositional sub‐environments; (ii) mechanisms promoting differential erosion leading to enhanced topography, and (iii) unusually high overburden pressure in the topographically constrained ice margin within the otherwise lowland area influencing the ice‐sheet–bedrock interaction in this particular research area, inducing postglacial seismicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice volume during the last ten 100 ka glacial cycles was driven by solar radiation flux in the Northern Hemisphere. Early minima in solar radiation combined with critical levels of atmospheric CO2 drove initial glacier expansion. Glacial cycles between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 24 and MIS 13, whilst at 100 ka periodicity, were irregular in amplitude, and the shift to the largest amplitude 100 ka glacial cycles occurred after MIS 16. Mountain glaciers in the mid-latitudes and Asia reached their maximum extents early in glacial cycles, then retreated as global climate became increasingly arid. In contrast, larger ice masses close to maritime moisture sources continued to build up and dominated global glacial maxima reflected in marine isotope and sea-level records. The effect of this pattern of glaciation on the state of the global atmosphere is evident in dust records from Antarctic ice cores, where pronounced double peaks in dust flux occur in all of the last eight glacial cycles. Glacier growth is strongly modulated by variations in solar radiation, especially in glacial inceptions. This external control accounts for ~50–60% of ice volume change through glacial cycles. Internal global glacier–climate dynamics account for the rest of the change, which is controlled by the geographic distributions of glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is uncommon in the North Sea basin and northwestern Europe for the ice-marginal glacial successions of the Middle Pleistocene, Anglian (Elsterian) age to be well preserved and not overridden by subsequent glaciations. The existence of extensive and thick ( ˜20 m) Middle Pleistocene sand and gravel successions in East Anglia, England, provide a unique opportunity to reconstruct and understand the palaeoenvironmental conditions in the Anglian ice-marginal zone, and further across the North Sea basin. This paper uses data from 80 sections in two sand and gravel quarries in East Anglia to provide the first evidence concerning: (i) the character of the ice-marginal processes in the unique, transitional zone between the topographically constrained and unconstrained Anglian ice-sheet margin; (ii) the role of meltwater in the re-shaping of topographically driven preglacial drainage; and (iii) the position and the number of oscillations of the Anglian ice-sheet margin in the form of a sediment-landform assemblage. Moreover the current research adds to the discussion on the presence and extent of the proglacial lake in the North Sea Basin during the Anglian glaciation. The sand and gravel successions in the Anglian ice-marginal zone are primarily reworked proto-Thames sediments deposited by meltwater. At the beginning of the glaciation, the meltwater followed the preglacial (proto-Thames) river course. However, as the ice sheet advanced, it was re-routed, overwhelming and abandoning the old river course and depositing an extensive ice-marginal subaqueous fan. The succession includes evidence for at least two enhanced meltwater release events, as well as indications of glaciolacustrine sedimentation. The character of the described sedimentary settings is discussed in the wider context of the presence of the North Sea Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A synthesis of new publically available borehole and bathymetric data, combined with a wealth of other existing disparate data sources, reveals new insights into the Quaternary history of the Bristol Channel area. Sediment boreholes throughout the Bristol Channel confirm the area was glaciated in the Pleistocene. Till is present below marine deposits and, in some areas, is visible morphologically as submerged moraines. In the central and eastern Bristol Channel the submerged valley course of the palaeo-Severn is very clear in new high-resolution bathymetric surveys. This former river course and associated tributaries cross-cut through glacial sediments in the Bristol Channel. At least three phases of glaciation are recorded in the Bristol Channel, one related to the southern limits of a Late Devensian Substage (∼Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2) Welsh Ice Cap which reached into Swansea Bay, an earlier Devensian (MIS 4-3) glaciation associated with Irish Sea ice, and another older glaciation that is associated with ice that filled the entire outer and central Bristol Channel. The age of the older Bristol Channel glaciation is still open, although it pre-dates the Devensian (Late Pleistocene) and must date to the Middle Pleistocene. It is therefore evident that Pleistocene glacial and fluvial activity, combined with subsequent post-glacial sea transgression, directly account for current morphometries of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary, and the current geography of the SW British Isles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported here is the first record of the extinct Aracites interglacialis Wieliczk. (possibly in the family Araceae) from the British Pleistocene at Gilson, Warwickshire in the English Midlands. The palynological assemblages from the Aracites interglacialis seed-bearing sediments at Gilson support a correlation with those from the Hoxnian stratotype at Hoxne, Suffolk, England (Middle Pleistocene). The data indicate correlation with the middle and latter part of the Hoxnian Stage (correlated with the Holsteinian Stage). Like at Hoxne, the organic sediments at Gilson occur in a small depression (probably a kettle hole) on Anglian cold Stage (correlated with the Elsterian Stage) outwash sands and gravels, showing that they were deposited after this glaciation ended. Velichkevich et al. (2004) stated that Aracites interglacialis "is characteristic only of the Mazovian interglacial and is abundant in fossil floras in Poland, Belarus and Russia". Using the presence of Aracites interglacialis as a biostratigraphic marker therefore allows the correlation of the British Hoxnian Stage with the Belarussian Alexandrian Stage, Polish Mazovian Stage and the Russian Likhvinian Stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marked by a progressive increase in the amplitude of climate oscillations, an evolving waveform, and a shift towards a quasi-100 ky frequency, the Early–Middle Pleistocene transition (EMPT), previously known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (or Mid-Pleistocene Revolution) (1.4–0.4 Ma), represents a fundamental transformation in the Earth's climate state. The EMPT began with a substantial change in climate dynamics and ended with the Mid-Brunhes Event, signaling the establishment of a new steady state. The reasons for the EMPT while uncertain appear to involve a non-linear response of the Earth climate system. The physical and biotic responses to this transition, amplified by the growth of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, have been profound. Two important chronostratigraphic markers characterize the EMPT, the Jaramillo Subchron (1.070–0.988 Ma) and the Matuyama–Brunhes Chron boundary (∼773 ka). The latter has been chosen as the primary guide for the Lower–Middle Pleistocene Subseries boundary, as it lies at the approximate midpoint of the EMPT and aids in global recognition both in marine and terrestrial deposits. The Jaramillo Subchron has received less attention, but the late Early Pleistocene is important in Europe because it saw the progressive transition from the Villafranchian to Galerian mammal faunas, and expansion of hominins into western and northern Europe. The Jaramillo Subchron is represented by Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 31 to 28, with MIS 30 already showing the asymmetrical (sawtooth) pattern characteristic of the Middle Pleistocene. Indeed, while variation in the 40-ky band (obliquity) remains strong throughout the EMPT, low frequency variability begins at around 1250–1200 ky, which coincides with a progressive increase in global ice volume. Against a backdrop of increasingly severe glacial cycles, notably during MIS 36, 34, 24–22 (the so-called “0.9 Ma event”), 16 and 12, pronounced phases of warming are also documented globally, including the “super-interglacial” MIS 31. The early phase of the EMPT is characterized by important glaciations beginning with MIS 36 and continuing to MIS 24–22, a major intensification of the East Asian monsoon system, intensification of loess deposition in northern Europe, development of open landscapes in western Siberia, increased fluvial incision, higher amplitude sea-level change, and spread of large mammals across northern Eurasia, and a strong reduction in the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation. In Europe, the loss of thermophilous plant taxa during the EMPT and indeed throughout the Quaternary is a reminder of the progressive cooling that took place here and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Quaternary System/Period represents the past 2.58 million years and is officially subdivided into the Pleistocene and Holocene series/epochs, with the base of the Holocene assigned an age of 11,700 calendar years before AD 2000. The two lowest stages of the Pleistocene, the Gelasian (base 2.58 Ma) and the Calabrian (base 1.80 Ma), have been ratified and these effectively constitute the Lower Pleistocene Subseries. All other official subdivisions are pending. For the Middle Pleistocene Subseries, three candidate global boundary stratotype sections and points (GSSPs) are under consideration: the Valle di Manche in Calabria and Montalbano Jonico in Basilicata, both in southern Italy, and the Chiba section in Japan. The Matuyama–Brunhes Chron boundary (∼773 ka) serves as the principal guide for the base of the Middle Pleistocene. The base of the Upper Pleistocene Subseries is generally agreed to coincide approximately with that of the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Substage 5e ∼130 ka): the Fronte section near Taranto in southern Italy represents a possible candidate GSSP, but an Antarctic ice core might also serve this purpose. A tripartite subdivision of the Holocene, with subseries/stage boundaries at 8200 and 4200 years B.P., is also under consideration. Additional fine-scale formal subdivision of the Quaternary is being explored, with the Last Glacial Maximum serving as a test case. The “Anthropocene” is both an informal and undefined interval of time that includes the present day. Its duration, formal/informal status, rank, and method of definition are all under debate, with one suggestion that it be defined as a formal unit beginning with the world's first nuclear bomb explosion, on July 16th 1945. Suggested and proposed GSSPs are compared and critiqued. The history leading to ratification of the Quaternary Period in 2009 is examined drawing upon published and unpublished material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rautuvaara section in northern Finnish Lapland has been widely considered as the stratotype for the northern Fennoscandian late Middle and Late Pleistocene. It exposes four till units interbedded with sorted sediments resting on Precambrian bedrock. In order to shed light on the Scandinavian Ice Sheet ( SIS) history and palaeoenvironmental evolution in northern Fennoscandia through time, a chronostratigraphical study was carried out at the Rautuvaara site. The succession was studied using sedimentological methods and different sand-rich units between till units were dated using the Optical Stimulated Luminescence ( OSL) method. The results obtained indicate that the whole sediment succession at Rautuvaara was deposited during the Weichselian Stage and there is no indication of older deposits. The SIS advanced across Finnish Lapland to adjacent areas to the east at least once during the Early Weichselian, twice during the Middle Weichselian (∼ MIS 4 and MIS 3) and once during the Late Weichselian substages. Glaciolacustrine sediments interbedded between the till units indicate that a glacial lake repeatedly existed after each deglacial phase. The results also suggest that there were two ice-free intervals in northern Fennoscandia during the Middle Weichselian close to the SIS glaciation centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oldest known hominin remains in Europe [~1.5 to ~1.1 million years ago (Ma)] have been recovered from Iberia, where paleoenvironmental reconstructions have indicated warm and wet interglacials and mild glacials, supporting the view that once established, hominin populations persisted continuously. We report analyses of marine and terrestrial proxies from a deep-sea core on the Portugese margin that show the presence of pronounced millennial-scale climate variability during a glacial period ~1.154 to ~1.123 Ma, culminating in a terminal stadial cooling comparable to the most extreme events of the last 400,000 years. Climate envelope-model simulations reveal a drastic decrease in early hominin habitat suitability around the Mediterranean during the terminal stadial. We suggest that these extreme conditions led to the depopulation of Europe, perhaps lasting for several successive glacial-interglacial cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classic Nihewan Fauna, as the representative of early Pleistocene Asian Land Mammal Age Nihewanian, has long been cited for bio- and chronostratigraphic correlation. However, its precise provenance and stratigraphic horizon have remained unsolved till now. The authors successfully extracted the vital information by rediscovering 30 of the original excavation localities. The fossils were catalogued with their provenance through an extensive field survey and comprehensive inspection of the Tianjin Natural History Museum collection. A review of the original description of these fossil localities, using satellite images, and subsequent lithological examination of the Xiashagou strata in the field verified the new findings. The survey produced the first stratigraphic profile calibrated with fossil horizons of the Nihewan formation in the Xiashagou section. Correlated with the published magnetostratigraphical profile of the section, an age of ∼2.4–1.8 Ma is estimated for the classic Nihewan Fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sequence of lacustrine and alluvial sediments represented by stratified sand, silt and, rarely, clay over 20 m-thick is widespread in the Anykščiai and Vilnius districts in Eastern and South-eastern Lithuania, respectively. These sediments are exposed only in Eastern Lithuania, in the Šventoji River valley and its tributaries. Here they overlie Devonian bedrock and are overlain by the Pleistocene glacial deposits. The results of different geological investigations (palaeobotanical, mineralogical, geochemical, etc.) indicate that these sediments probably formed in the basins and rivers that date from the Neogene to the Early Pleistocene. Stratigraphical subdivision and correlation of sediments from the transition zone between the Neogene and Quaternary are problematic for several reasons. This article presents new results of palaeomagnetic investigations of these sediments from five outcrops, accompanied by lithological studies. The sediments were laid down during a relatively long and variable period of palaeomagnetic reversals comparable to the Matuyama and Gauss polarity chrons. The boundary between the Brunhes and Matuyama polarity chrons has been traced in the upper part of the sections. The stratigraphical subdivision and correlation of the entire sequence, as well as the identification of the Neogene/Quaternary boundary in these sediments, remain undetermined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]