•1 min read•from Oceanography News -- ScienceDaily
Snowball Earth was not completely frozen, new study reveals
Our take
A groundbreaking study reveals that Earth’s Snowball period was not a complete freeze as previously thought. Research conducted on ancient Scottish rocks indicates that even during this extreme climate event—when ice sheets extended to the tropics and the planet appeared as a massive snowball from space—climate rhythms persisted. These included seasonal changes, solar cycles, and patterns akin to today’s El Niño, suggesting that dynamic climate processes continued beneath the ice.
Even when Earth was locked in its most extreme deep freeze, the planet’s climate may not have been as silent and still as once believed. New research from ancient Scottish rocks reveals that during Snowball Earth — when ice sheets reached the tropics and the planet resembled a giant snowball from space — climate rhythms similar to today’s seasons, solar cycles, and even El Niño–like patterns were still pulsing beneath the ice.
Read on the original site
Open the publisher's page for the full experience