[Rockhounds] Geoscientists finally found the cause of Earth’s last ice age

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

For years, scientists have struggled to understand two major mysteries
about the Earth’s climate: what triggered the formation of the vast ice
sheets during the last ice age
<https://www.thebrighterside.news/green-impact/scientists-discover-prehistoric-landscape-once-lost-beneath-the-antarctic-ice/>,
and how did they spread so quickly?

Recent research from the University of Arizona sheds new light on these
questions, proposing an explanation that may apply not only to the most
recent ice age but also to other glacial periods in Earth’s history.

Published in Nature Geoscience
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00956-9>, the study offers
insights into the mechanisms behind Earth’s recurring cycles of glaciation
and warming, particularly the rapid expansion of ice sheets across the
Northern Hemisphere. These massive sheets of ice covered large portions of
the northern landmasses, including Canada, Siberia, and parts of Europe.

About 100,000 years ago, Earth underwent a significant cooling period. This
was a time when mammoths roamed the frozen landscape and the climate of the
Northern Hemisphere became much colder. Over roughly 10,000 years, small
mountain glaciers gradually grew, eventually merging into enormous ice
sheets.


https://www.thebrighterside.news/green-impact/geoscientists-finally-found-the-cause-of-earths-last-ice-age/