Environmental Change Vocabulary

noun a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene (around 11,700 years ago) and continues to the present

• The Holocene epoch is the current geological epoch, starting around 11,700 years ago.
• The Holocene is basically the time period we're living in right now.
• The Holocene is like our current era, you know?
• In the grand timeline of Earth's history, the Holocene is just a blip.

noun a mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as a ridge at its edges or extremity

• The glacier left behind a large moraine as it receded.
• We had to climb over a huge moraine to reach the top of the mountain.
• I tripped over a stupid moraine while hiking.
• The emotional moraine of past traumas weighed heavily on her heart.