Würm Glaciation
115000 BCE
Last major glacial period in Europe.
Historical Context
During the Late Pleistocene, the Earth experienced cycles of glacial and interglacial eras governed by Milankovitch cycles (Earth's orbit and tilt).
The Event
The Würm Glaciation began about 115,000 years ago, peaking around 20,000 BCE. Northern Eurasia and America were covered by kilometer-thick ice sheets; global sea levels dropped by 120 meters.
Key Figures
Homo neanderthalensis (adapted to cold Europe), Homo sapiens (arrived in Europe ~40,000 BCE), Milutin Milankovitch (climate theorist).
Aftermath
Lower sea levels created land bridges (Beringia, Doggerland) allowing humans to colonize America and Australia. Environmental pressure stimulated technological innovation (clothing, fire).
Legacy & Culture
The end of this ice age (Holocene, ~11,000 BCE) offered a stable, mild climate that enabled the invention of agriculture and sedentism, the foundations of our civilizations.
Historiography
Modern paleoclimatology uses Greenland ice cores to demonstrate the unprecedented brutality of past climate changes (Dansgaard-Oeschger events).
Sources and References
Carottes de glace du Groenland (projet GRIP/GISP)
Dépôts morainiques dans les Alpes
Dansgaard et al., Événements de Dansgaard-Oeschger