The Record of the Cold Stages

Evidence for climatic conditions on the continents during the cold stages lies in a number of areas: glacial history, vegetational and faunal history, periglacial history, weathering horizons. Whereas glacial history provides evidence of periods of glacierization within cold stages, palaeontology provides evidence of a variety of climates within cold stages, as does the periglacial evidence, at times when glacierization was not extensive. The definition and history of cold stages is considered. The evidence for climatic change is reviewed, based on the occurrence of periglacial phenomena and fossil floras and faunas, and the problems of interpreting cold-stage climates are considered.