Throughout much of Earth’s history, the climate has switched between periods of extreme heat and freezing cold.
Cold, glacial periods are characterized by large ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere, while interglacials are periods when those ice sheets retreat or disappear completely, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Glacial and interglacial periods are thought to alternate depending on changes in Earth’s axial tilt and orbit around the sun.
We currently live in an interglacial period called the Holocene epoch that began around 11,700 years ago.
Before the Holocene, the last glacial period lasted about 110,000 years. It is often referred to as “the last ice age” and is best known for hosting now-extinct megafauna, such as woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius), giant ground sloths and saber-toothed cats. But there are many more fascinating facts about this frosty time in Earth’s past.
How much do you know about the last ice age? Find out by taking this quiz. And if you need a hint, hit the yellow button. Good luck!
—Mammoth quiz: Test your knowledge of the ice age beasts
—Antarctica quiz: Test your knowledge on Earth’s frozen continent
—Evolution quiz: Can you naturally select the correct answers?
—US volcano quiz: How many can you name in 10 minutes?
—Conspiracy theory quiz: Test your knowledge of unfounded beliefs, from flat Earth to lizard people
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