Writer@Large

So, what's your opinion on the "Snowball Earth" theory?

I've just had the opportunity to watch a BBC Horizons program on the Snowball Earth theory [imported to America as part of the Discovery Channel's "On the Inside"]. While I've been peripherally aware of the Snowball theory, this was the first I'd seen anything in great detail. It was very interesting, especially when they made the connecton between the end of such an event and the first evolutionary explosion of multicellular life. Being an armchair scientist (i.e. I still watch the Discovery Channel!), I'm not really in a position to judge the theory, but the evidence presented was interesting, seemed like science (not pseudoscience), and came together well.

Since the Infidels represents the best collection of scientific minds I have personal access to, I thought I'd get the opinion of those here at the IIDB on this. Doing some Internet reading, I see that the latest salvo in the debate has been fired. But I also see some support out there for it.

What's your thoughts?

--W@L

Lobstrosity

I thought it was really a very fascinating theory and I didn't see any obvious logical flaws with the ideas proposed. Sure, it's rather hard to assess the scientific veracity of the claims proposed on an hour-long Discovery Channel program, but none of them struck me as falling under the blatant bullshit category. If the claims are true, then the environmental stability of Earth is a bit less stable than people realize. If anything, this just shows that global warming could be much more devastating than anyone thinks.

Quetzal

It's a pretty interesting hypothesis. I'm not sure the article W@L linked to says more than there is evidence that the Vendian snowball wasn't a "total" freeze - there there were areas of open water. Of course, everyone's still arguing mechanisms, and if the Vendian was the only one.

Here's an interesting article I stumbled across: The Snowball Earth that argues for both a hard freeze and proposes a mechanism.

ps418

Whether or not the entire ocean was frozen or not, it is clear that there were massive glaciations towards the end of the precambrian, and that the ice reached very low latitudes. Connections between these events and the diversification of early animals is far more speculative, but still plausible.

Patrick