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ice age
(redirected from Ice Ages)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
Ice Age: see Pleistocene epoch Pleistocene epoch (plī`stəsēn), 6th epoch of the Cenozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale , table).
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ice age

 or glacial age

Any geologic period during which thick ice sheets cover vast areas of land. Such periods of large-scale glaciation may last several million years and drastically reshape surface features of entire continents. A number of major ice ages have occurred throughout the Earth's history; the most recent periods were during the Pleistocene Epoch (1.8 million–10,000 years ago).


ice age [′īs ‚āj]
(geology)
A major interval of geologic time during which extensive ice sheets (continental glaciers) formed over many parts of the world.

Ice Age [′īs ‚āj]
(geology)


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Polar bears have survived previous Arctic warming periods, including the last warm stretch between ice ages some 130,000 years ago, but some experts say that nothing in the species' history is likely to match the extent of warming and ice retreats projected in this century and beyond, should emissions of heat-trapping gases continue unabated.
Would major reorganizations of ocean currents tend to cause ice ages by temporarily disrupting the flow of warm water that normally keeps the ice at bay?
After all, many scientists think that a slowing of ocean circulation may be the switch that triggers the onset of Ice Ages.
 
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