Sub-divisions of the Holocene

Abstract

 The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has subdivided the Holocene into 3 stages, defining Stage boundaries at 8200 and 4200 years B.P. The basis for such a division is reviewed and it is concluded that while there is a good argument for a stage boundary at 8200 B.P., this is not the case for a boundary at 4200 B.P. The evidence for a globally significant event is insufficient to justify the use of the term Meghalayan stage (or age) to refer to the period after 4200 B.P. The decision of the International Commission on Stratigraphy to define the Meghalayan stage should be rescinded.