when was the most recent ice age in north america

The most recent major ice age in North America was the Wisconsin glaciation , which reached its peak about 21,000–25,000 years ago and ended around 11,000 years ago, as the climate warmed into the present Holocene period.

Quick Scoop

• The last big glacial episode that covered much of North America with ice sheets is called the Wisconsin glaciation.

• It began roughly 75,000–100,000 years ago as climate cooled and ice sheets expanded across Canada and into the northern United States.

• Ice extent was greatest during the Last Glacial Maximum , about 21,000–25,000 years ago, when the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest and New England.

• By about 18,000 years ago the ice started retreating rapidly, with most large continental ice gone from the contiguous United States by roughly 11,000 years ago, marking the end of this most recent ice age phase in North America.

A Bit More Context

In geological terms, Earth is still in a broader ice-age state (the Quaternary Ice Age), but currently in a warmer interglacial phase called the Holocene, which began about 11,700 years ago after the final cold snap known as the Younger Dryas. The Wisconsin glaciation is thus the last major glacial period within this ongoing ice-age cycle that specifically shaped modern North American landscapes, carving the Great Lakes and leaving behind moraines, drumlins, and other glacial landforms seen today.

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