Quaternary period
- noun
- /kwəˈtɜrnəri ˈpɪərəd/
- Specialized
:
período cuaternario
- Frequently tested climatic hypotheses involve global temperature changes, past climatic fluctuations, and glacial cycles, mainly during the Quaternary period.
Examples
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However, vast regions in central, southern, and southwestern China possess rich biodiversity because the climate is warm and the geomorphology is varied, and because glaciations during the Quaternary Period had less of an impact in these regions.
Academic text (2008) -
Glacial advances and retreats characterize significant events of the Quaternary period, profoundly impacting Earth's landscape.
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This includes the protection of old landforms, such as the peculiar geological formations of the Quaternary period.
Blog text (34) -
Some cumulative changes reached continental, even global, proportions long before the 20th century, including deforestation, the transfer of plants and animals between continents, modification of grasslands, and possibly the extinction of a large number of animal species in the Quaternary period.
Academic text (1992) -
The fossils found in the region provide important insights into the life that existed during the Quaternary period.
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Research shows that human ancestors began to evolve in the Quaternary period, adapting to various climatic changes.
Synonyms
1
9.4
A time in Earth's history about the last two million years when humans lived and changed the world
A geological period covering the last two million years when humans appeared and ice ages happened
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: 'Quaternary' denotes a specific geological interval and 'period' means a measured interval, so 'Quaternary period' straightforwardly refers to the period that is Quaternary (the most recent geological time). This is a technical label rather than an idiom, so a B1 learner who already knows the constituent words—especially the term 'Quaternary'—can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Quaternary period comes from a Latin word meaning 'fourth', because early scientists called it the fourth big time in Earth's history. That's why the term now means the most recent time, the last two million years, when ice ages happened and modern humans appeared.