Snow Ball Earth

 The first hypothesized period of planetary-scale chilling or glaciation does not occur until about half-way through Earth’s history at 2.2 billion years ago during the Proterozoic era. Less than a billion years ago, Earth is believed to have experienced a severe freezing episode resulting in what has been called ‘Snowball Earth’.

1^st Snow Ball Earth :-

The Archaean era begin with a 600 My episodes of global warming associated with high level of methane and carbon-di-oxide and a green house effect. This was followed by a rise in Oxygen, a reduction in methane, and a global freezing (2.3by) and than a rise in methane and a global meltdown.

Central to this first mass extinction was the first global ice age, known as the first Paleoproterozoic “Great Oxidation Event” and the first snow ball earth. The surface of the entire planet is believed to have been nearly frozen solid, beginning around 2.3 by, killing off all prokaryotes and eukaryotes who were not adopted to freezing temperatures, low levels of methane and increased oxygen.

2^nd Snow Ball Earth :-

Between 1.6-1.2 by a varied assemblage of complex multicellular eukaryotes diverged and proliferated, including green and red algae, dinoflagellates, ciliates, amoebae, and a diverse array of unornamented organic-walled acritarch. As early as 800my Acritarch as well as plankton coccoid and cercozoans and eukaryotic and marine algae proliferated throughout oceans and inland seas.

3^rd Snow Ball Earth :-

Between 640-580my the planet undergone yet another global ice age, the marinion followed by a less extreme period of cooling referred to as “Gaskiers” which came to a close around 580my. This global ice age were likely triggered by a combination of oxygen buildup and the spewing of volcanic ash into the atmosphere.