Middle Holocene
Northgrippian age (approximately 8.2–4.2 ka).
Language and route: English ordinal adjective middle + already established Holocene epoch name. English ordinal adjective middle + already established Holocene epoch name. English positional term / inherited scientific epoch name.
Literal gloss: middle part of the Holocene
The name and its history
No single original coiner; IUGS ratified formal rank on 14 June 2018 · formal rank ratified 14 June 2018 (not original word use)
- What does the word literally mean?
- middle part of the Holocene
- What did the original author mean?
- Middle is a relative time expression, not the geological name of a dated cooling event.
- Why was the name needed?
- Earlier regional uses of “mid-Holocene” differed markedly in start or duration, obscuring comparison between palaeoclimate and prehistoric sequences.
- What evidence supported the original concept?
- Ice-core electrical-conductivity markers near the 8.2 ka event and a cave speleothem boundary near 4.2 ka establish its limits.
- How has geology changed the concept?
- In 2018 the Middle Holocene was formalised as a subepoch matching the Northgrippian age; its new limits should not be projected uncritically onto older literature.
Further historical context
Middle is a relative time expression, not the geological name of a dated cooling event.
Earlier regional uses of “mid-Holocene” differed markedly in start or duration, obscuring comparison between palaeoclimate and prehistoric sequences.
Ice-core electrical-conductivity markers near the 8.2 ka event and a cave speleothem boundary near 4.2 ka establish its limits.
In 2018 the Middle Holocene was formalised as a subepoch matching the Northgrippian age; its new limits should not be projected uncritically onto older literature.
Editorial qualification
14 June 2018 establishes formal rank, not first use of 'middle'; time divisions use Early/Late, rock units Lower/Upper.
Related names
Sources
- ICS, International Chronostratigraphic Chart v2026/06 — Governing classification, chronological sequence and numerical reference ages; not naming priority
- Walker et al. (2012), Formal subdivision of the Holocene: discussion paper — Contemporaneous proposal to replace variable informal tripartition by worldwide divisions
- Walker et al. (2018), Formal ratification of the subdivision of the Holocene, Episodes — Official naming, locations, proxy markers and ratification on 14 June 2018
- Walker et al. (2019), Subdividing the Holocene: GSSPs and auxiliary stratotypes — Detailed explanation of the Holocene stage names and definitions
- ICS, International Stratigraphic Guide: Chronostratigraphic Units — Stage/age, series/epoch and subseries/subepoch distinctions