Würm IV Glacial Substage

The Würm IV glacial substage refers to the final phase of the Würm glacial stage, a major division of late Pleistocene deposits and time in Alpine Europe. This glacial stage is correlated with the Weichsel glacial stage in northern Europe and the Wisconsin glacial stage in North America.1

Glacial stages are cold periods during an ice age when Earth's surface is largely covered by glaciers. The Würm glacial stage began approximately 70,000 years ago and is divided into early, middle, and late phases. The Würm IV specifically marks the last of this stage's substages, ending around 11,700 years ago as glaciers retreated to their present dimensions. The name "Würm" originates from a lake in southern Germany.213