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How is the Gelasian Stage connected to the Pleistocene Epoch?
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Cenozoic Era
Principal Cenozoic faunal migration routes and barriers.
The Gelasian Stage is the first of four stages of the Pleistocene Series and marks the beginning of the Pleistocene Epoch.12
While the Gelasian was formerly classified as the final stage of the Pliocene Series, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) ratified a decision in 2009 to make the base of the Pleistocene coincident with the base of the Gelasian Stage. This boundary is defined by a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) located near Gela, Sicily, which also serves as the base of the Quaternary Period. Consequently, the Gelasian Stage now encompasses the initial interval of the Pleistocene, spanning from approximately 2,588,000 to 1,806,000 years ago, and is followed by the Calabrian Stage.12