The Holocene is the current geological epoch within the Quaternary Period, beginning approximately 11,700 years before present, following the end of the Pleistocene and the last major glaciation. Defined stratigraphically by a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) at the end of the Younger Dryas, it is characterized by relatively stable interglacial climate conditions, rapid postglacial sea-level rise, and the expansion of Holocene biota and soils. The epoch encompasses the development of agriculture, complex human societies, and extensive anthropogenic modification of Earth systems, and is subdivided into Greenlandian, Northgrippian, and Meghalayan ages based on distinct climatic and stratigraphic markers.
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