9.37 Ice Age History & Facts

Imagine living at a time when giant mammals roamed the earth. Sloths were as tall as houses, and armadillos were as big as a small car! Read on to learn more about what life was like during the Ice Age.

What Is the Ice Age?

Earth has experienced many periods of warming and cooling episodes throughout history. The Ice Age is a period in Earth’s geological history that started around 70,000 years ago and is well documented through animal and plant fossils and artifacts left by humans. The peak of the Ice Age is thought to be around 19,000 years ago, and the Ice Age ended around 10,000 years ago. As the name suggests, this was a time when the climate was much, much colder than it is today. In fact, much of the Earth’s surface was covered in sheets of ice.

It is estimated that about one-third of the Earth was covered in ice, and some of the ice sheets were up to a mile thick. New York state was covered in a sheet of ice approximately 1,000 feet thick. That’s almost as high as New York City’s famed Empire State Building! Because much of Earth’s water was locked up in ice sheets, scientists estimate that the sea level was over 300 feet lower than it is today.

1. Main points:

The Ice Age, a significant period in Earth’s history, started around 70,000 years ago, peaked 19,000 years ago, and ended 10,000 years ago, characterized by a much colder climate and large parts of the Earth covered in thick ice sheets.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What was the Ice Age and how did it affect the Earth’s surface?
• Contextual Analysis: When did the Ice Age occur and how long did it last?
• Thematic Analysis: How did the Ice Age impact sea levels compared to today?

3. Further Discussion:

• If you could visit the Ice Age, what do you think you would see and feel?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "The Ice Age is a period in Earth’s geological history… much of the Earth’s surface was covered in sheets of ice."
• Contextual Analysis: "The Ice Age… started around 70,000 years ago… and ended around 10,000 years ago."
• Thematic Analysis: "Because much of Earth’s water was locked up in ice sheets, scientists estimate that the sea level was over 300 feet lower than it is today."

What Caused the Ice Age?

There is geological evidence for many warming and cooling periods throughout Earth’s over four billion-year history. The Ice Age was not caused by one singular event but many factors contributed to the Earth warming or cooling. These included the Earth’s position to the sun, the Earth’s tilt, and/or small changes in the Earth’s atmosphere or ocean currents. Small changes over a long period of time can create dramatic changes to the climate.

1. Main points:

The Ice Age, part of Earth’s long history of climate fluctuations, was influenced by multiple factors like Earth’s position relative to the sun, its tilt, and changes in the atmosphere and ocean currents, demonstrating how small changes over time can lead to significant climatic shifts.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What factors contributed to the Ice Age?
• Contextual Analysis: How do Earth’s position and tilt influence its climate?
• Thematic Analysis: Why do small changes in the Earth’s atmosphere or ocean currents matter in the long term?

3. Further Discussion:

• Can you think of any small changes happening today that might affect our climate in the future?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "The Ice Age was not caused by one singular event but many factors contributed to the Earth warming or cooling."
• Contextual Analysis: "These included the Earth’s position to the sun, the Earth’s tilt…"
• Thematic Analysis: "Small changes over a long period of time can create dramatic changes to the climate."

Life in the Ice Age

Imagine living during the Ice Age. Your home would look very different than it does today, and evidence suggests that people lived in caves during the Ice Age. Hunters would set out on expeditions to find food. Instead of modern weapons we think of hunters using today, people of the Ice Age had only stone tools that included knives and spears made out of rocks shaped into sharp points. It was no easy task to kill a giant mammoth, cave bear, or saber-tooth cat with a spear!

The Ice Age is known for having been a time when giant animals known as megafauna roamed the Earth. Today’s megafauna includes large animals like elephants, hippopotamus, lions, and tigers. Megafauna of the Ice Age were quite spectacular and included armadillos the size of small cars called glyptodons, giant sloths as tall as a house, and giant beavers standing over six feet tall.

Animals adapted to cooler temperatures by growing more fur, and over time, animals we know as wooly mammoths and wooly rhinos were better able to survive because they could stay warm. We know what these animals looked like because fossil remains have been discovered all over the world, but some of the most remarkable fossils have been discovered in preserved tar pits, caves, and even frozen in glaciers. Few species of megafauna exist today, and it is thought that human hunting, disease, and/or climate change contributed to the extinction of the remarkable Ice Age animals around 11,000 years ago.

Humans lived in small groups throughout Asia and Europe as far as 40,000 years ago, and they migrated over the ice sheets into North America around 20,000 years ago. Many believe they were following animal herds for food. Cave paintings dating to this time have been discovered that depict hunting scenes and images of animals.

1. Main points:

During the Ice Age, humans lived in caves and used stone tools for hunting large megafauna. This era was marked by spectacular giant animals and significant adaptations in wildlife, with human migration and cave paintings providing insights into life during this period.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What were the living conditions and tools used by humans during the Ice Age?
• Thematic Analysis: What types of megafauna existed during the Ice Age, and how did they adapt to the climate?
• Socio-cultural Analysis: How do cave paintings help us understand the lifestyle of Ice Age humans?

3. Further Discussion:

• If you could see one Ice Age animal, which one would you choose and why?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "People lived in caves during the Ice Age… had only stone tools that included knives and spears made out of rocks."
• Thematic Analysis: "Megafauna of the Ice Age… included armadillos the size of small cars… giant sloths as tall as a house… wooly mammoths and wooly rhinos were better able to survive because they could stay warm."
• Socio-cultural Analysis: "Cave paintings dating to this time have been discovered that depict hunting scenes and images of animals."

Lesson Summary

The Ice Age was a period in Earth’s history when the climate was much cooler, and about one-third of the Earth was covered in ice sheets. The Ice Age began around 70,000 years ago, peaked around 20,000 years ago, and it ended around 10,000 years ago. Humans lived among and hunted large mammals called megafauna, including wooly mammoths, giant beavers, and saber tooth cats.