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Year 10

AQA

Evidence for climate change in the Quaternary period

I can understand evidence for climate change in the Quaternary period.

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New

Year 10

AQA

Evidence for climate change in the Quaternary period

I can understand evidence for climate change in the Quaternary period.

Download all resources

Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

Climate has changed in the past through natural causes.
Evidence for natural climate change include ice cores, tree rings and historical sources.
Evidence can be used to reconstruct climate change from the Quaternary to the present day.

Keywords

Quaternary period - the period of geological time from 2.6 million years ago to the present
Climate change - a long-term change in Earth’s climate patterns
Ice core - a cylinder of ice extracted from an ice sheet or glacier which is used to analyse past climate conditions

Common misconception

Climate change has only happened recently.

The Earth's climate patterns have changed numerous times in the past, for example there have been around 50 cycles of glacial (cold) phases and interglacial (warmer) phases in the Quaternary period.

It is useful to consider the reliability of each source of evidence as they are explained.

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on

Open Government Licence version 3.0

except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

Match the correct definition to each key word.

Correct Answer:Climate ,Average weather conditions of a place taken over a 30-year period

Average weather conditions of a place taken over a 30-year period

Correct Answer:Weather,The day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere at a particular place

The day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere at a particular place

Correct Answer:Extreme weather ,Weather that is significantly different to the expected conditions

Weather that is significantly different to the expected conditions

Q2.

What is climate change?

Short-term fluctuation in local weather patterns

Correct answer: Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns on Earth

Seasonal changes experienced

Q3.

Carbon dioxide, helium and methane are all examples of gases.

Correct Answer: greenhouse, Greenhouse

Q4.

How long have humans inhabited Earth?

Around 2 million years

Nearly 5 million years

Correct answer: Approximately 200 000 years

Q5.

How do scientists monitor changes to ice sheets and glaciers?

By measuring the temperature of the ocean

Correct answer: By using satellite observations, aerial surveys, and ground-based measurements

By studying the behaviour of polar animals

Q6.

What name is given to maps which use colour scales to show how a variable (e.g. population density) changes over an area?

Climate maps

Physical maps

Correct answer: Choropleth maps

Exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.

Which geological time period began 2.6 million years ago?

Jurassic

Correct answer: Quaternary

Holocene

Q2.

A glacial period is when temperatures drop significantly. periods are shorter, warmer periods.

Correct Answer: Interglacial, interglacial

Q3.

Which of these sources of evidence about climate change could tell us about climates 400 000 years ago?

Tree rings

Correct answer: Ice cores

Global temperature records

Correct answer: Fossil records

Sea level rise

Q4.

Melting glaciers, sea level rise and global temperature records are all used to provide evidence about climate change.

1 - r

2 - e

3 - c

4 - e

5 - n

6 - t