Australian geologists have discovered that an extreme ice-age climate that occurred over 700 million years ago, known as the Sturtian glaciation, was likely caused by historically low volcanic carbon dioxide emissions. The team used plate tectonic modelling and computer models to analyze the CO2 degassing of underwater volcanoes. They found that the start of the ice age correlated with a decrease in volcanic CO2 emissions, which remained low throughout the entire duration of the ice age. This research sheds light on the functioning of the Earth’s climate system and its sensitivity to atmospheric carbon concentration. The study also raises questions about the Earth’s future climate. The findings suggest that the Earth’s trajectory of lower volcanic CO2 emissions could lead to another ice age, even if it evolves towards a supercontinent called Pangea Ultima in the coming millions of years. It is important to note that geological climate change occurs extremely slowly, whereas human-induced climate change is happening at a much faster pace.
https://astrobiology.com/2024/02/what-turned-earth-into-a-giant-snowball-700m-years-ago.html