Younger Dryas Phase

Younger Dryas Phase [Ge].
A biostratigraphic subdivision of the late DEVENSIAN STAGE in which sub-Arctic conditions prevailed; the most recent of three subdivisions of the North Atlantic cold-climatic phase known as the DRYAS. Godwin's POLLEN ZONE III corresponds with the Younger Dryas in Britain, marked by the development of tundra and park tundra. The Younger Dryas spans the period from c.9000 BC down to c.8000 BC in northern Europe.