The Wolstonian Stage is a middle

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

stage of the geological history of Earth from approximately 374,000 until 130,000 years ago. It precedes the

Eemian Stage The Eemian (also called the last interglacial, Sangamonian Stage, Ipswichian, Mikulin, Kaydaky, penultimate,NOAA - Penultimate Interglacial Period http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/global-warming/penultimate-interglacial-period Valdivia or Riss-Würm) wa ...

in Europe and follows the

Hoxnian Stage __NOTOC__ The Hoxnian Stage was a middle Pleistocene stage (Pleistocene from million to 11,700 years BP) of the geological history of the British Isles. It was an interglacial which preceded the Wolstonian Stage and followed the Anglian Stage. I ...

in the British Isles. It is also approximately analogous to the

Warthe The river Warta ( , ; german: Warthe ; la, Varta) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly north-west to flow into the Oder, against the German border. About long, it is Poland's second-longest river within its borders after the Vistula, a ...

and

Saalian The Saale glaciation or Saale Glaciation, sometimes referred to as the Saalian glaciation, Saale cold period (german: Saale-Kaltzeit), Saale complex (''Saale-Komplex'') or Saale glacial stage (''Saale-Glazial'', colloquially also the ''Saale-Eiszei ...

stages in northern Europe; the Riss glaciation in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

; and the

Illinoian Stage The Illinoian Stage is the name used by Quaternary geologists in North America to designate the period c.191,000 to c.130,000 years ago, during the middle Pleistocene, when sediments comprising the Illinoian Glacial Lobe were deposited. It precedes ...

in North America. It is equivalent to Marine isotope stages (MIS) 10 through 6. MIS 10, 8 and 6 were

glacial period A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

s and 9 and 7 were interglacials. It is named after

Wolston Wolston is a village and civil parish in the Rugby borough of Warwickshire, England. The village is located roughly halfway between Rugby and Coventry, and had a population of 2,692 at the 2021 census. It is close to the A45 road and the Roman ...

in the English county of

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

Description

The Wolstonian Stage is a middle

stage of the geological history of Earth that precedes the Ipswichian Stage (

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

) and follows the

in the British Isles. The Wolstonian Stage apparently includes three periods of glaciation. The Wolstonian Stage is temporally analogous to the Warthe Stage and Saalian Stage in northern Europe and the Riss glaciation in the

, and temporally equivalent to all of the

and the youngest part of the Pre-Illinoian Stage in North America. It is contemporaneous with the North American Pre-Illinoian A, Early Illinoian, and Late Illinoian glaciations. The Wolstonian Stage is equivalent to Marine isotope stages 6 through 10. Britain became an Island during this period (350,000 years ago). It started 374,000 years ago and ended 130,000 years ago.

Etymology

The Wolstonian Stage was named after the site of

in the English county of

where corresponding deposits were first identified.Gibson, Sebastian M. et al. (2022) ''Timing and dynamics of Late Wolstonian Substage ‘Moreton Stadial’ (MIS 6) glaciation in the English West Midlands, UK''
Royal Society Publishing
(Open access), June 2022. Deposits from Wolston are described and dated (as 150 ka) in sections 4.1.4 and 4.2.1.4.

Archaeology

Acheulian flint tools have been found in Wolstonian deposits.

Pleistocene glaciation

References

External links

* * *Gibbard, P., 2008a
''Map 6. (Fluvial) Palaeogeography during the Saalian (Drenthe Substage) / Wolstonian glacial maximum.''
North West European Rivers, Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, Cambridge, England. (includes PDF file of map) * (includes PDF file of map) * (includes PDF file of map) * *Shotton, F.W., nd

The Shotton Project, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England.