when did the current geologic epoch begin and what event marked its beginning
Holocene The Holocene ( /ˈhɒləˌsiːn, ˈhoʊ-/)[2][3] is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 years before present, after the last glacial period.[4] The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene[5] together form the Quaternary period. The Holocene has been identified with the current warm period, known as MIS 1, and is considered by some to be an interglacial period.
Neolithic The Neolithic (/ˌniːəˈlɪθɪk/ ( listen),[1], also known as the "New Stone Age"), the final division of the Stone Age, began about 12,000 years ago when the first development of farming appeared in the Epipalaeolithic Near East, and later in other parts of the world. The division lasted until the transitional period of the Chalcolithic from about 6,500 years ago (4500 BC), marked by the development of metallurgy, leading up to the Bronze Age and Iron Age. In Northern Europe, the Neolithic lasted until about 1700 BC, while in China it extended until 1200 BC. Other parts of the world (the New World) remained in the Neolithic stage of development until European contact.[citation needed]