image: The iron-rich rocks of Death Valley (California) provide a window into the Earth's most severe ice age. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Maxwell A. Lechte.
Iron isotope ratios and cerium anomalies in iron formations within sediments deposited during the "Snowball Earth" ice ages, 720-635 million years ago, indicate the existence of oxygenated ocean waters capable of supporting aerobic ecosystems near ice sheet grounding lines, likely because of input from oxygenated meltwater from the ice sheet base, suggesting how aerobic eukaryotes could have survived during a prolonged period of ocean anoxia.
Article #19-09165: "Subglacial meltwater supported aerobic marine habitats during Snowball Earth," by Maxwell A. Lechte et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Maxwell A. Lechte, McGill University, Montreal, CANADA; tel: 514-293-7755; e-mail: maxwell.lechte@mail.mcgill.ca
###
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences