<P> Quaternary ( / kwəˈtɜːrnəri / ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy ( ICS ) . It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present . The Quaternary Period is divided into two epochs : the Pleistocene ( 2.588 million years ago to 11.7 thousand years ago ) and the Holocene ( 11.7 thousand years ago to today ) . The informal term `` Late Quaternary '' refers to the past 0.5 -- 1.0 million years . </P>
<P> Quaternary ( / kwəˈtɜːrnəri / ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy ( ICS ) . It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present . The Quaternary Period is divided into two epochs : the Pleistocene ( 2.588 million years ago to 11.7 thousand years ago ) and the Holocene ( 11.7 thousand years ago to today ) . The informal term `` Late Quaternary '' refers to the past 0.5 -- 1.0 million years . </P>
when did the quaternary period begin and end
when did the quaternary period begin and end
2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present
2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present