Snowball Earth Hypothesis
What is the Snowball Earth Hypothesis?
The Snowball Earth Hypothesis proposes that Earth's entire surface was covered in ice during one or more icehouse climates.
Geologists first proposed this theory in the 1960s, but recent studies have provided increasing support for it.
Evidence for the Snowball Earth Hypothesis
Evidence for the Snowball Earth Hypothesis includes:
- Ancient rocks that show evidence of glaciation from all over the world.
- Computer models that simulate the conditions necessary for a Snowball Earth event.
- Chemical evidence from the oceans that suggests that they were completely frozen at some point in the past.
Implications of the Snowball Earth Hypothesis
The Snowball Earth Hypothesis has implications for our understanding of Earth's climate history and the evolution of life.
If the Earth was completely covered in ice for millions of years, it would have had a profound impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems.
The Snowball Earth Hypothesis is a controversial theory, but it remains one of the most popular and well-supported explanations for the Earth's icehouse climates.
Further Reading
A record of Earth's early oxygen atmosphere preserved in metasediments
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