Marinoan glaciation

The Marinoan glaciation was a major Cryogenian ice age that ended about 635 million years ago, leaving glacial deposits at low paleolatitudes and evidence of near-global ice cover.

Snowball Earth: A hypothesis that Earth experienced episodes of near-global ice cover. The Marinoan is a leading example used to evaluate this hypothesis.
Cryogenian: A geological period spanning roughly 720 to 635 million years ago, marked by major glaciations. The Marinoan was one of the Cryogenian’s two principal global glaciations.
Rodinia: A Neoproterozoic supercontinent assembled from older continental blocks. Its breakup reshaped continental positions and may have affected climate before Cryogenian glaciations.
Snowball Earth hypothesis: A climate hypothesis that Earth’s oceans were largely or entirely covered by ice during ancient global glaciations. Marinoan deposits support severe global glaciation, but the extent of open water remains disputed.
Albedo: The fraction of incoming radiation that a surface reflects. Expanding ice raised planetary reflectivity, reinforcing cooling in Snowball Earth models.
Sturtian glaciation: A major Cryogenian glaciation that preceded the Marinoan and ended around 659 million years ago. It was the earlier of the two principal Cryogenian glaciations.
Rifting: The stretching and splitting of continental lithosphere, often preceding formation of new ocean basins. Rodinia’s breakup altered continental geography and volcanic activity relevant to proposed glaciation triggers.
Slushball Earth: A proposed climate state with extensive sea ice but persistent open water in some low-latitude regions. It offers an alternative to complete tropical ocean ice cover during the Marinoan.
Carbon dioxide: A colorless atmospheric gas that absorbs infrared radiation and participates in the carbon cycle. Volcanic emissions could accumulate while ice limited silicate weathering, helping drive deglaciation.
Neoproterozoic: The final era of the Proterozoic Eon, lasting from about 1,000 to 539 million years ago. The Cryogenian and Marinoan belong to this broader interval of Earth history.

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