Meghalayan

Meghalayan
Meghalayan
0.0042 – 0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Chronology
−12 — – −11 — – −10 — – −9 — – −8 — – −7 — – −6 — – −5 — – −4 — – −3 — – −2 — – −1 — – 0 —	C; e; n; o; z; o; i; c Q; u; a; t; e; r; n; a; r; y P; C H; o; l; o; c; e; n; e "Upper" Greenland. Northgripp. Meghalay.
	Ages of the Holocene Epoch. ; Axis scale: thousands of years ago.;
Etymology
Name formality	Formal
Name ratified	14 June 2018
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Age
Stratigraphic unit	Stage
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	4.2 kiloyear event
Lower boundary GSSP	Mawmluh Cave, Meghalaya, India; 25°15′44″N 91°42′54″E / 25.2622°N 91.7150°E
GSSP ratified	14 June 2018
Upper boundary definition	N/A
Upper boundary GSSP	N/A
GSSP ratified	N/A

In the geologic time scale, the Meghalayan is the latest age or uppermost stage of the Quaternary.^[3] It is also the upper, or latest, of three subdivisions of the Holocene epoch or series.^[4]^[5] It was officially ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in June 2018 along with the earlier Greenlandian and Northgrippian ages/stages.^[6] Its Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is a Krem Mawmluh Cave formation in Meghalaya, a state in Northeast India.^[6] Mawmluh cave is one of the longest and deepest caves in India, and conditions here were suitable for preserving chemical signs of the transition in ages.^[7] The global auxiliary stratotype is an ice core from Mount Logan in Canada.^[8]

The Meghalayan begins 4,200 years BP (c. 2250 BCE or 7750 HE),^[9] leaving open room for the possible creation of the Anthropocene.^[10]^[11] Helama & Oinonen (2019) dated the start of the Meghalayan to 2190-1990 BCE.^[12] The age began with a 200-year drought that impacted human civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and the Yangtze River Valley.^[9] "The fact that the beginning of this age coincides with a cultural shift caused by a global climate event makes it unique," according to Stanley Finney, Secretary General of the International Union of Geological Sciences.^[11]

References[]

^ Walker, Mike; Head, Martin J.; Berkelhammer, Max; Björck, Svante; Cheng, Hai; Cwynar, Les; Fisher, David; Gkinis, Vasilios; Long, Anthony; Lowe, John; Newnham, Rewi; Rasmussen, Sune Olander; Weiss, Harvey (1 December 2018). "Formal ratification of the subdivision of the Holocene Series/ Epoch (Quaternary System/Period): two new Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs) and three new stages/subseries" (PDF). Episodes. Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS). 41 (4): 213–223. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2018/018016. Retrieved 28 August 2020. This proposal on behalf of the SQS has been approved by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) and formally ratified by the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).
^ Head, Martin J. (17 May 2019). "Formal subdivision of the Quaternary System/Period: Present status and future directions". Quaternary International. 500: 32–51. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2019.05.018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
^ Cohen, K. M.; Finney, S. C.; Gibbard, P. L.; Fan, J-X. (January 2020). "International Chronostratigraphic Chart" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
^ Radha-Udayakumar, Ganesh (19 July 2018). "Scientists call our era the Meghalayan Age. Here's what the world was like when it began". India Today. New Delhi: Living Media India Limited. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
^ Scroll Staff. "'Meghalayan Age': Latest phase in Earth's history named after Indian state, began 4,200 years ago". Scroll.in.
^ ^a ^b International Commission on Stratigraphy. "ICS chart containing the Quaternary and Cambrian GSSPs and new stages (v 2018/07) is now released!". Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^ "'Meghalayan Age' makes the state a part of geologic history". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
^ "Formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch" (PDF).
^ ^a ^b Jonathan Amos (18 July 2018). "Welcome to the Meghalayan Age – a new phase in history". BBC. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
^ International Commission on Stratigraphy. "Collapse of civilizations worldwide defines youngest unit of the Geologic Time Scale". News and Meetings. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b Michael Irving (19 July 2018). "Time for the Meghalayan: A new geological age has officially been declared". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
^ "Exact dating of the Meghalayan lower boundary based on high-latitude tree-ring isotope chronology". Quaternary Science Reviews. 214: 178–184. 15 June 2019. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.04.013. hdl:10138/330959. ISSN 0277-3791.

External links[]

Chronostratigraphy benchmarks

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[FRS-1] Walker, Mike; Head, Martin J.; Berkelhammer, Max; Björck, Svante; Cheng, Hai; Cwynar, Les; Fisher, David; Gkinis, Vasilios; Long, Anthony; Lowe, John; Newnham, Rewi; Rasmussen, Sune Olander; Weiss, Harvey (1 December 2018). "Formal ratification of the subdivision of the Holocene Series/ Epoch (Quaternary System/Period): two new Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs) and three new stages/subseries" (PDF). Episodes. Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS). 41 (4): 213–223. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2018/018016. Retrieved 28 August 2020. This proposal on behalf of the SQS has been approved by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) and formally ratified by the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

[2] Head, Martin J. (17 May 2019). "Formal subdivision of the Quaternary System/Period: Present status and future directions". Quaternary International. 500: 32–51. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2019.05.018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

[ICS-3] Cohen, K. M.; Finney, S. C.; Gibbard, P. L.; Fan, J-X. (January 2020). "International Chronostratigraphic Chart" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy. Retrieved 8 January 2021.

[4] Radha-Udayakumar, Ganesh (19 July 2018). "Scientists call our era the Meghalayan Age. Here's what the world was like when it began". India Today. New Delhi: Living Media India Limited. Retrieved 3 January 2021.

[5] Scroll Staff. "'Meghalayan Age': Latest phase in Earth's history named after Indian state, began 4,200 years ago". Scroll.in.

[ics-6] International Commission on Stratigraphy. "ICS chart containing the Quaternary and Cambrian GSSPs and new stages (v 2018/07) is now released!". Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2018.

[7] "'Meghalayan Age' makes the state a part of geologic history". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.

[8] "Formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch" (PDF).

[:0-9] Jonathan Amos (18 July 2018). "Welcome to the Meghalayan Age – a new phase in history". BBC. Retrieved 19 July 2018.

[10] International Commission on Stratigraphy. "Collapse of civilizations worldwide defines youngest unit of the Geologic Time Scale". News and Meetings. Retrieved 15 July 2018.

[irving-11] Michael Irving (19 July 2018). "Time for the Meghalayan: A new geological age has officially been declared". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.

[12] "Exact dating of the Meghalayan lower boundary based on high-latitude tree-ring isotope chronology". Quaternary Science Reviews. 214: 178–184. 15 June 2019. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.04.013. hdl:10138/330959. ISSN 0277-3791.

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Meghalayan

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