How is the Gauss-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal connected to the beginning of the Pleistocene?

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The Gauss-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal is a critical chronostratigraphic marker used to define the beginning of the Pleistocene Epoch.

The formal base of the Pleistocene is defined by the Gelasian Stage, which begins 2,588,000 years ago. This boundary is established at the global stratotype section and point (GSSP) located at Monte San Nicola in Sicily, Italy. The Gauss-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal—a significant shift in Earth's magnetic polarity—occurs in close proximity to this boundary. Specifically, the marker bed for the base of the Pleistocene is situated approximately one meter above the strata that record this paleomagnetic boundary. Because this reversal is a global event, it serves as a vital tool for geologists to correlate the onset of the Pleistocene across different regions of the world.123