ICE AGES

Ice Ages

Table of Contents

Ice Ages1

Introduction1

Discussion1

Ice Ages of the Past1

Evidence for Ice Ages3

Ice Age Refuges4

Atmosphere Changes5

Location of the Continents6

Fluctuation in the Ocean Currents7

Variation in Earth's Orbit7

Variation in the Energy of Sun7

Volcanoes8

Effects of Glaciations8

Conclusion10

References11

Appendices12

Ice Ages

Introduction

The research paper explores the concept of Ice Ages that how it was originated in past. It also analyzes the various factors that are responsible for the causes of Ice age and what are its after effects on the environment.

Ice age is a generic geological period, where the surface of the Earth's temperature and atmosphere reduces to a low point resulting in expansion of polar ice sheets, alpine glaciers and continental ice sheets. These are found in Antarctica and Greenland. “The ice sheets in Green land contain nearly 10 percent of the Earth's fresh water supply locked up in the frozen form” (Stein, p.5). The presence of ice sheets and glaciers results in highly freezing temperature. Ice ages have both freezing periods and warm periods, known as glacials and interglacials. According to this definition, it may be surprising, but we are still in the period of ice age. However, when majority of the public talk about the concept of ice age, they do not consider about interglacial period just like what we are going through these days. They only think about the huge mountains covered with ice.

Discussion

Ice Ages of the Past

The concept of Ice age may be new, but in reality it is as old as the planet Earth. Although people did see the signs that Ice age existed, and eventually those signs were used to prove its existence. Large mountains covered with ice, rock mounds called moraines were seen. Moraine is a matter carried by a glacier or ice sheet and then they are deposited to some other part. There are mainly eight types of moraines, out of which six are known land reforms, and rests of the two are present only when the glacier exists.

Switzerland is the country from where the Ice Age idea was originated. The geologic evidences led the scientists to wonder that the glaciers were much bigger in earlier days. Louis Agassiz, a naturalist was amazed by these clues and in 1837; at a scientific gathering he presented the idea of glacial activities. Other scientists were not at all fascinated, instead they said to him to go back. Louis Agassiz's first theory was not convincing but he was strong-minded to show that how these glaciers work and affect the countries all over the world, then in 1840, he published his theories (Macdougall, p.5).

(Source: http://www.entertainmentwallpaper.com/download/10018014/)

Evidence for Ice Ages

Glaciers were already familiar to the scientists like Louis Agassiz, but to other scientists these were geologic anomalies. In Jura Mountains, Switzerland, boulders were traced to Alpine glaciers and 50 miles away from that place; these glaciers explained the geologic anomalies that existed in North America and Europe too.“ Ice ages seem to occur with a period of roughly 250 to 300 million years , and glaciers advance and melt back during these ice ...