Sangamon Interglacial Stage

Sangamon Interglacial Stage, major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in North America (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago). The Sangamon Interglacial follows the Illinoian Glacial Stage and precedes the Wisconsin Glacial Stage, both periods of widespread continental glaciation and severe climatic conditions, as opposed to the moderate conditions of the Sangamon. The Sangamon was named for deposits studied in Sangamon County, Illinois, U.S.

Sangamon deposits frequently consist of ancient soils, which are widespread through much of the central United States. An excellent sequence of Sangamon sediments from Richmond, in southern Indiana, has provided much information on Sangamon climates in the region as well as information about the dominant forests. The Illinoian Glacial Stage ended with a cool, moist period that gradually became drier and then warmer, until a warm, dry climate marked the height of Sangamon time, during which an oak–hickory forest was dominant. Toward the latter part of the Sangamon, the climate again became cooler, then wetter, and finally passed into the next glacial episode, the Wisconsin. Sangamon vertebrates in the southern Great Plains region included the dire wolf, an extinct wolf that reached large size; short-faced bear; giant bison, with very well-developed horns; columbian mammoth; sabre-toothed cats; giant ground sloths; camels; jaguars; horses; and others. Most of these forms are no longer found in the United States or are extinct; the same is true of numerous large-size small animals, including rodents, insectivores, and lizards, that have been found in Sangamon deposits.