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BOB HIRSHON (Host):
Geologists declare a new age. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
Welcome to the Meghalayan Age, the just-announced name of our current geological time period. The Meghalayan began around 2200 BC, when a rapid cooling in Earth’s climate led to the collapse of many civilizations. Long Beach State University geologist Stan Finney says it’s just the most recent of three new Ages that divide up the Holocene Era, that began after the last Ice Age.
STAN FINNEY (Long Beach State University):
But the scientists working on that/ wanted boundaries to define where does the early part of the Holocene end and the late part begin? We want everyone communicating the same language.
HIRSHON:
Evidence of the sudden cooling that started the late Holocene was first found in stalagmites growing in caves in the Indian state of Meghalaya. The Meghalayan Age will continue– until another climate shift marks the start of a new Age. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.
Story by Bob Hirshon