The Ice Age was a period in the Earth's history when the climate was much colder than it is today. Huge sheets of ice and snow, called glaciers, spread over large parts of the northern lands. Scientists have found that the Earth has passed through several ice ages. The most recent one ended about 10,000 years ago.
What the Earth was like
During the Ice Age the world was cold and dry. So much water was frozen into ice that the sea level fell — in some periods by more than 100 metres. Land that is under the sea today was then dry ground. These stretches of dry land are called land bridges, and they joined islands to the mainland.
Life during the Ice Age
Large animals suited to the cold lived at this time, such as the woolly mammoth and the woolly rhinoceros. Early humans, our own species Homo sapiens, were skilled hunters. They wore animal skins, made fire, and used simple tools made of stone to survive the cold.
Key idea
The Ice Age was a long period of very cold climate. Ice covered much land and the sea level fell, exposing land bridges that linked islands to the mainland.
Remember
- The last Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago.
- Frozen water lowered the sea, forming land bridges.
- Early humans hunted, made fire and used stone tools to survive.