Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: gleeaikin

I think what really happened with the Antarctic glaciation timeline is that:

1) Antarctica was already more-or-less over the South Pole as early as 60 million years ago and a few glaciers developed on the higher mountain ranges particularly about 42 million years ago; but,

2) It was also connected to South America and Australia at the time so that the ocean currents were mixed with mid-latitude/tropical ocean currents in gyres in the Pacific and the Atlantic/Indian Oceans which keep it reasonably warm - still frigid in the Winter but the snow and ice melted in the Summer.

3) About 34 million years ago, enough separation occured between South America and Australia, that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current developed which isolated Antarctica in an extreme polar climate.

4) It rapidly glaciated over after this.

5) About 27 million years ago, some jostling of the small cratons between South America and Antarctica closed off the Antarctic Circumpolar Current again and the glaciers melted back considerably.

6) About 14 million years ago, the Circumpolar Current was re-established and Antarctica glaciated over again.

7) About 2.5 million years ago, the Earth cooled off even more (due to events in the Arctic ocean which are still not explained other than Greenland and the Arctic Archipelago were slowly drifting north), and Antarctica glaciated over even more than previously more-or-less similar to today.

That is my timeline of events and I have spent a lot of time researching this. I could quote about 50 sources but I hate doing that.

Antarctica was also glaciated over between 330 to 290 million years ago, 430 to 420 million years ago and 640 to 600 million years ago when Continental Drift also placed it near the South Pole. It is the unlucky Continent.


46 posted on 01/01/2010 6:13:11 PM PST by JustDoItAlways
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies ]


To: JustDoItAlways; All

Thank you for the detailed information. I have a special interest in boloid and volcanic influence on earth history.

Since you have put considerable effort into Antarctic study, I was wondering if you have any thoughts, feelings, conjectures on the apparent thawed state of parts of Antarctica that seem to be shown on the Piri Reis (sp?) map.


49 posted on 01/01/2010 9:49:07 PM PST by gleeaikin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson