Earth became planet snowball 700 million years ago. Here’s how
- 7 years ago
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — A new from Harvard University posits that atmospheric sulfur resulting from volcanic activity may have led to Earth’s first and largest ever planetary freezing.
Earth became covered by ice glaciers around 700 million years ago, notes a Harvard news release. Researchers theorize that this event was caused by 10 years of eruptions from volcanoes that spanned 2,000 miles across an equatorial landmass.
They say these eruptions could have plied the atmosphere with enough sulfur dioxide, a light reflecting gas, to induce radical alterations to Earth’s climate.
The study was published last month the in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters.
Earth became covered by ice glaciers around 700 million years ago, notes a Harvard news release. Researchers theorize that this event was caused by 10 years of eruptions from volcanoes that spanned 2,000 miles across an equatorial landmass.
They say these eruptions could have plied the atmosphere with enough sulfur dioxide, a light reflecting gas, to induce radical alterations to Earth’s climate.
The study was published last month the in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters.