In Australia, of all places, a research team has found evidence of past ice ages – nature

“Imagine if the Earth were almost completely frozen over, and that's exactly what happened about 700 million years ago; the planet was covered in ice from the poles to the equator,” explains Dr. Adriana Dutkiewicz, leader of a new study appearing in the February issue of the journal Geology. The team discovered Researchers from the University of Sydney now have new evidence of a massive ice age that covered the entire planet. Background: During a trip to South Australia, scientists discovered icy debris from the Sturtian Ice Age. The team then examined data from so-called EarthByte computer models.

A reference to the Ice Age dating back 700 million years

The researchers compared the position of Earth's continents and ocean basins about 700 million years ago with carbon dioxide emissions. The team discovered the starting point of a huge ice age, the so-called Sturtian glaciation, which occurred between 717 and 660 million years ago. The catalyst: The opposite effect of global warming today – a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to less volcanic activity. This led to long-lasting “planetary ice,” however, and anyone who now thinks of scenes like those in the film is mistaken: “At that time there were no multicellular animals or land plants on Earth,” says Dutkiewicz.

The original text of this article “In Australia, of all places, a research team has found evidence of a previous ice age” comes from bit projects.