The second major Pleistocene glaciation of Alpine Europe which ended with the onset of the Holsteinian Interglacial. It was the second major Ice Age in the Pleistocene period, shown in Quaternary deposits in the Alps and the valleys of south German rivers. The Mindel consists of moraine and related river terraces of proglacial deposits. The Mindel Glacial Stage is part of the early geologic scheme (c. 1900) that first recognized the importance of multiple episodes of Pleistocene glaciation. The stage, a period of relatively severe climatic conditions and glacial advance, preceded the Mindel-Riss Interglacial and followed the Günz-Mindel Interglacial, both periods of relatively moderate climatic conditions. The Mindel Glacial Stage lasted from about 750,000 to 675,000 years ago. At least two periods of glacial advance, separated by a moderate period, are recognized in the Mindel.