Earth:Wolstonian Stage

Short description: Glacial Period in Britain c,352,000 - c130,000

Wolstonian
.374 – .130 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Regional
Used by	United Kingdom
Definition
Chronological unit	Age
Stratigraphic unit	Stage

The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene stage of the geological history of Earth from approximately 374,000 until 130,000 years ago. It precedes the Eemian Stage in Europe and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles.

It is also approximately analogous to the Warthe and Saalian stages in northern Europe; the Riss glaciation in the Alps; and the Illinoian Stage in North America.

It is equivalent to Marine isotope stages (MIS) 10 through 6. MIS 10, 8 and 6 were glacial periods and 9 and 7 were interglacials.

It is named after Wolston in the English county of Warwickshire.

Description

The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene stage of the geological history of Earth that precedes the Ipswichian Stage (Eemian Stage in Europe) and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles. The Wolstonian Stage apparently includes three periods of glaciation. The Wolstonian Stage is temporally analogous to the Warthe Stage and Saalian Stage in northern Europe and the Riss glaciation in the Alps, and temporally equivalent to all of the Illinoian Stage and the youngest part of the Pre-Illinoian Stage in North America. It is contemporaneous with the North American Pre-Illinoian A, Early Illinoian, and Late Illinoian glaciations.

The Wolstonian Stage is equivalent to Marine isotope stages 6 through 10.

Britain became an Island during this period (350,000 years ago).

It started 374,000 years ago and ended 130,000 years ago.

Etymology

The Wolstonian Stage was named after the site of Wolston in the English county of Warwickshire where corresponding deposits were first identified.

Archaeology

Acheulian flint tools have been found in Wolstonian deposits.

Pleistocene glaciation

Historical names of the "four major" glacials in four regions.

Region	Glacial 1	Glacial 2	Glacial 3	Glacial 4
Alps	Günz	Mindel	Riss	Würm
North Europe	Eburonian	Elsterian	Saalian	Weichselian
British Isles	Beestonian	Anglian	Wolstonian	Devensian
Midwest U.S.	Nebraskan	Kansan	Illinoian	Wisconsinan

Historical names of interglacials.

Region	Interglacial 1	Interglacial 2	Interglacial 3
Alps	Günz-Mindel	Mindel-Riss	Riss-Würm
North Europe	Waalian	Holsteinian	Eemian
British Isles	Cromerian	Hoxnian	Ipswichian
Midwest U.S.	Aftonian	Yarmouthian	Sangamonian

See also

• Glacial period
• Ice age
• Timeline of glaciation

External links

• Aber, J.S. (2006). "Regional Glaciation of Kansas and Nebraska". Emporia KS: Emporia State University. http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/ice/lec17/lec17.htm. 
• Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (2007). "Global correlation tables for the Quaternary". Cambridge UK: Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. http://www.quaternary.stratigraphy.org.uk/correlation/chart.html. 
• Gibbard, P., 2008a, Map 6. (Fluvial) Palaeogeography during the Saalian (Drenthe Substage) / Wolstonian glacial maximum. North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, Cambridge, England. (includes PDF file of map)
• Gibbard, P. (2008). "Map 7: Maximum extent of the glaciation during the Saalian / Drenthe / Dneipr Stage (late Middle Pleistocene)". Cambridge UK: North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group. http://www.qpg.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/nweurorivers/saalianglaciation.html.  (includes PDF file of map)
• Gibbard, P. (2008). "Map 8: Latest Saalian to early Weichselian drainage during sea level lowstand". Cambridge UK: North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group. http://www.qpg.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/nweurorivers/saalianglaciation.html.  (includes PDF file of map)
• Hallberg, G.R. (1980). "Illinoian and Pre-Illinoian stratigraphy of southeast Iowa and adjacent Illinois" (PDF 19.3 Mb). Technical information Series. no. 11. Ames IA: Iowa Geological Survey Bureau. http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/webapps/gsbpubs/pdf/TIS-11.pdf. 
• Shotton, F.W., nd, East Anglia and the English Midlands. Ice Age Britain. The Shotton Project, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England.

Further reading

• Bowen, D.Q. (1978). Quaternary geology: a stratigraphic framework for multidisciplinary work. Oxford UK: Pergamon Press. ISBN 978-0-08-020409-3. 
• Ehlers, J.; Gibbard, P.L., eds (2004). Quaternary Glaciations: Extent and Chronology 2: Part II North America. Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN 0-444-51462-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=2xpIEPH7RW4C. 
• Ehlers, J.; Gibbard, P.L.; Rose, J., eds (1991). Glacial deposits in Great Britain and Ireland. Rotterdam: Balkema. ISBN 978-90-6191-875-2. 
• Mangerud, J.; Ehlers, J.; Gibbard, P.L., eds (2004). Quaternary Glaciations : Extent and Chronology 1: Part I Europe. Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN 0-444-51462-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=mmPwAAAAMAAJ. 
• Sibrava, V.; Bowen, D.Q; Richmond, G.M. (1986). "Quaternary Glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere". Quaternary Science Reviews 5: 1–514. doi:10.1016/S0277-3791(86)80002-6.