How An Ice Age Lasted 56 Million Years - Yet Life Prevailed

"The carbon cycle describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Earth and its atmosphere form a closed environment; the amount of carbon in this system does not change. Where the carbon is located in the atmosphere or on Earth is constantly in flux."

"Carbon is the foundation of all life on Earth, required to form complex molecules like proteins and DNA. This element is also found in our atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon helps to regulate the Earth's temperature, makes all life possible, is a key ingredient in the food that sustains us, and provides a major source of energy to fuel our global economy."

"Minsky and the research team explain that there were volcanic eruptions that happened just before the Sturtian glaciation in the volcanic region of the Franklin Large Igneous Province (FLIP) in northern Canada. The intense weathering of basalt from the eruptions drew down atmospheric carbon dioxide enough to trigger multiple global glaciations. This glacial onset with one of the largest magmatic episodes in the geological record, the Franklin large igneous province."

"What the team is suggesting is that there were periods of warming and cooling during this time, and it was not just one continuous ice age. As carbon dioxide was released into the atmosphere by the volcanic eruptions, it caused the climate to warm. This would cause the ice to melt, and the basalt would be exposed again and then pull the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and cause the planet to cool again. This repeating cycle of carbon dioxide-driven freezing and thawing could naturally sustain the freezing and thawing cycles over"

A coupled model links ancient climate behavior with the global carbon cycle. Carbon continuously moves between the atmosphere and Earth, while the total amount in the combined system remains constant. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere influences Earth’s temperature and supports life through essential biological molecules. Volcanic eruptions in the Franklin Large Igneous Province in northern Canada occurred just before the Sturtian glaciation. Intense basalt weathering from these eruptions drew down atmospheric CO2 enough to trigger multiple global glaciations. The climate likely alternated between warming and cooling rather than remaining in one continuous ice age. CO2 released by volcanism warmed the planet and melted ice, then renewed weathering removed CO2 and cooled the climate again, repeating freezing and thawing cycles.

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