Ancient water find to explain first ICE AGE

Jun 07, 2013 |

Tiny bubbles of water found in quartz grains in Australia hold the key to understanding what caused the Earth’s first ice age. An Anglo-French team analysed the amount of ancient atmospheric argon gas (Ar) isotopes dissolved in the bubbles and found levels were very different to those in the air we breathe today.

The findings help explain why Earth didn’t suffer its first ice age until 2.5 billion years ago, despite the Sun’s rays being weaker during the early years of our planet’s formation, researchers said.
“The water samples come from the Pilbara region in north-west Australia and were originally heated during an eruption of pillow basalt lavas,” said author Dr Ray Burgess.

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