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Explosive volcanoes ended Earth's time as a snowball: Huge eruptions broke our planet's deep freeze
MailOnline ^
| 01/18/2016
| Ryan O'Hare for
Posted on 01/18/2016 9:00:01 PM PST by BenLurkin
In our planet's early history, 720 to 640 million years ago, thick sheets of ice covered the majority of the surface, as the Earth was locked in a deep freeze.
But explosive underwater volcanoes changed the chemistry of the Earth's oceans and were key to breaking the planet from its icy state, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Southampton believe underwater volcanoes helped to thaw out "Snowball Earth", and even led to runaway chemical chain reactions, which created the conditions for an explosion of life on Earth.
While much of the driving forces behind glaciation during the "Snowball Earth" era is unclear, scientists believe the breakup of the super-continent Rodinia was fundamental to the climatic shift.
As the super-continent began to "unzip", tearing apart down the middle and breaking off into smaller land masses, it leached tons of sediment into the oceans.
This sediment acted as a sponge to suck up the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, robbing the planet of its heat trapping mechanism and causing the Earth to remain locked in cryostasis.
But explosive volcanic activity in the shallow oceans created in by the unzipping landmass spewed carbon dioxide into the air.
In addition, the sediment they pumped out - rich in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus - caused large mineral lumps, called cap carbonates to form, leading to a runaway chemical chain reaction which may have created an atmosphere much friendlier to life.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: calcium; carboncredits; carbondioxide; carbonfootprint; catastrophism; chandlerswobble; chandlerwobble; co2; continentaldrift; epa; glaciation; globalwarminghoax; godsgravesglyphs; godzilla; gondwana; gradualism; joekirschvink; lunarcapture; lunarorigin; magnesium; nonsense; pangaea; phosphorus; platetectonics; poleshift; popefrancis; rodinia; romancatholicism; snowballearth; truepolarwander; uniformitarianism; unitedkingdom
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Scientists believe the breakup of the super-continent Rodinia (illustrated) from around 750 million years ago, was fundamental to the climatic shift. As the super-continent began to 'unzip', tearing apart down the middle , it leached tons of sediment into the oceans, which absorbed carbon dioxide and kept the Earth cool
Researchers at the University of Southampton believe that underwater volcanoes played a major role in breaking the global freeze of 'Snowball Earth' by produing the heat needed to thaw the surface (illustrated). The volcanoes are thought to have been triggered by the landmasses tearing apart into continents
1
posted on
01/18/2016 9:00:01 PM PST
by
BenLurkin
To: BenLurkin
Man speculates and plans and GOD laughs!!!
2
posted on
01/18/2016 9:08:56 PM PST
by
SierraWasp
(Hey, lets leap to support someone rich and strong enough who will DO SOMETHING, (even if its wrong))
To: BenLurkin
I question the idea that the ice sheets expanded from what we now call the Arctic and Antarctic. The existence of tropical forests under the miles of ice sheets might mean that those areas were part of the ‘tropics’ along the equator and Canada/North America might have been the ‘south pole’.
3
posted on
01/18/2016 9:12:25 PM PST
by
UCANSEE2
(Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
To: BenLurkin
The volcanoes are thought to have been triggered by the landmasses tearing apart into continents A little bassackwardy goes a long way. The upwelling in the mantle caused the rifting--ultimately the volcanic activity is what tore the continents apart.
4
posted on
01/18/2016 9:14:33 PM PST
by
Smokin' Joe
(How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
To: BenLurkin
“720 to 640 million years ago.” All articles that give dates such as these so blissfully and “authoritatively” are nonsense. Notice the basis for these time frames is never given, nor can be. It is based upon a “religious” faith, independent of science, one that has so many assumptions it refutes its own premise, boggling the mind to to those who see the false premise.
5
posted on
01/18/2016 9:23:45 PM PST
by
Fungi
To: BenLurkin
I thought it was all those SUVs that caused the Earth to warm up.
6
posted on
01/18/2016 9:24:26 PM PST
by
dfwgator
To: SierraWasp
Why would God laugh at men trying to understand their world and their history? Does God laugh at historians? Geographers? Explorers?
7
posted on
01/18/2016 9:35:27 PM PST
by
Alter Kaker
(Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)
To: BenLurkin
We are not the first civilization that rose on this rock we call Earth. We most likely are not even the most advanced. Man is so arrogant, he will not even study what does not fit his belief.
8
posted on
01/18/2016 9:35:46 PM PST
by
Glad2bnuts
(Go Cruz GO, scare the RINO's to death)
To: BenLurkin
North American Craton is starting to move, again Published on Jan 18, 2016 Laurentia (North American Craton) is a large continental craton that forms the ancient geological core of the North American continent. Many times in its past, Laurentia has been a separate continent as it is now in the form of North America, although originally it also included the cratonic areas of Greenland and also the northwestern part of Scotland, known as the Hebridean Terrane. During other times in its past, Laurentia has been part of larger continents and supercontinents and itself consists of many smaller terranes, Scene of NEW MADRID QUAKE.
9
posted on
01/18/2016 9:37:52 PM PST
by
SubMareener
(Save us from Quarterly Freepathons! Become a MONTHLY DONOR!)
To: Alter Kaker
You would not understand the answer unless God struck you blind like he did Saul of Tarsus, then healed your blindness and gave you understanding as he did the Apostle Paul.
10
posted on
01/18/2016 10:16:34 PM PST
by
SierraWasp
(Hey, lets leap to support someone rich and strong enough who will DO SOMETHING, (even if its wrong))
To: Alter Kaker
In other words:
1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
11
posted on
01/18/2016 10:33:21 PM PST
by
SierraWasp
(Hey, lets leap to support someone rich and strong enough who will DO SOMETHING, (even if its wrong))
To: Glad2bnuts
We most likely are not even the most advanced. Man is so arrogant, he will not even study what does not fit his belief.Agreed.
12
posted on
01/18/2016 10:36:08 PM PST
by
Smokin' Joe
(How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
To: BenLurkin
Looks like a monster snow storm might hit the DC area in 5 days. Up to 4 feet possible. Alright. DC will be paralyzed ! See iceagenow.info
13
posted on
01/18/2016 11:14:44 PM PST
by
justa-hairyape
(The user name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
To: Glad2bnuts
Something must screw up the carbon dating method. Those pyramids were not built by those Egyptians living in Cairo. Heck they can barely feed themselves. My hunch is a global nuclear war makes accurate dating methods impossible. But who knows.
14
posted on
01/18/2016 11:23:59 PM PST
by
justa-hairyape
(The user name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
To: justa-hairyape
So, did the Mayan/Aztec build their temples, or not?
To: RedHeeler
Do not know about them specifically, but my guess is some just took over ancient ruins and created a story to explain their creation. It would be impossible to tell the difference now, assuming of course our dating methods are messed up when the nukes, or asteroid hits, occur. You should not assume you were the first advanced civilization. And we do. Which creates an observational bias.
16
posted on
01/18/2016 11:40:11 PM PST
by
justa-hairyape
(The user name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
To: justa-hairyape
Indeed.
I would enjoy a conversation with you, at some point in time.
Thanks for your logic.
To: BenLurkin; 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; ...
18
posted on
01/19/2016 12:21:01 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
19
posted on
01/19/2016 12:21:59 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
To: justa-hairyape; All
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