The Snowball Earth Episodes

Abstract

Throughout the history of Earth, significant changes in its climate and consequent alterations to its surface have been recorded. One of the most extreme forms is the complete coverage of the planet by ice, known as Snowball Earth. This theory explains numerous findings from archaeological studies conducted worldwide during the Neoproterozoic Period. However, despite increasing evidence of intense climatic fluctuations occurring during this period, the theory of complete ice coverage is not widely accepted by the scientific community. In this work, we present a critical bibliographic review of the main points of this theory, shedding light on its key aspects and unresolved debates.

Keywords

• albedo
• atmosphere
• biosphere
• climate
• climate dynamics
• geosphere