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The Meghalayan stage is the most recent of the three stages that divide the Holocene Epoch, spanning from approximately 4,200 years ago to the present. This stage was officially recognized in June 2018 by the International Union of Geological Sciences and the International Commission on Stratigraphy.1

The Meghalayan stage is defined by a significant global cooling and drought event that occurred about 4,200 years ago. Evidence for this event comes from a stalagmite found in Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya, India, which recorded a 200-year period of these climatic shifts. This climatic change had a profound impact on civilizations in low and middle latitudes worldwide, including those in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Yangtze River Valley.1

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