ijstijd

IJstijd is the Dutch term for an ice age, a long interval in Earth’s history during which global temperatures are cooler and large parts of the continents are covered by ice sheets. Ice ages comprise glacial advances and warmer interglacial phases within longer geological timescales.

In the Quaternary period the term covers multiple glaciations within the Pleistocene (about 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago). Late Pleistocene cycles occurred roughly every 100,000 years. The last major glaciation reached its maximum during the Last Glacial Maximum, about 26,500 to 19,000 years ago. The Holocene epoch is the current interglacial, starting around 11,700 years ago.

During the Last Glacial Maximum, large ice sheets covered substantial portions of North America, northern Europe, and Asia; sea levels were about 120 meters lower than today. The advance and retreat of ice reshaped landscapes, influenced climate belts, and affected the distribution of flora and fauna. Changes in land and sea conditions also impacted human populations and animal migrations in various regions.

Scientific study of IJstijd relies on ice cores, marine and lake sediments, pollen records, and isotopic data to reconstruct past climates. Understanding these cold periods helps explain natural climate variability and informs models of future change. The term also appears in Dutch-language science communication and education as a concise description of glacial episodes within Earth’s history.