Mineralised water seeping through the roof of the Mawmluh cave. The water helps build stalagmites and stalactites over thousands of years. These peculiar structures—speleothems, document the changes in global climatic conditions over geological time scales.
Abstract: The preserved record of a 4200-year-old event within the stalagmites of Mawmluh limestone cave in Meghalaya has resulted in the cave and state gaining international recognition. The study of these stalagmites suggests a major climatic event which might have impacted human civilization during the time. The current geological age, starting 4200 years ago, is now called the Meghalayan Age, the youngest time division of the Holocene Epoch.
The authors are from Geological Survey of India, North East Region, Shillong. debahuti.mukherjeegsi@gmail.com. The article should be cited as Mukherjee D., B. Iangrai and S. Shome 2019. Meghalayan Age - The Youngest Age Interval in Earth’s History, Geography and You, 19(25 & 26): 60-69
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