Relation To Climate
There are two types of global earth climates: icehouse and greenhouse. Icehouse is characterized by frequent continental glaciations and severe desert environments. Greenhouse is characterized by warm climates. Both reflect the supercontinent cycle. We are now in a little greenhouse phase of an ice house world.
- Icehouse climate
- Continents moving together
- Sea level low due to lack of seafloor production
- Climate cooler, arid
- Associated with aragonite seas
- Formation of supercontinents
- Greenhouse climate
- Continents dispersed
- Sea level high
- High level of sea floor spreading
- Relatively large amounts of CO2 production at oceanic rifting zones
- Climate warm and humid
- Associated with calcite seas
Periods of icehouse climate: much of Neoproterozoic, late Paleozoic, late Cenozoic.
Periods of greenhouse climate: Early Paleozoic, Mesozoic-early Cenozoic.
Read more about this topic: Supercontinent Cycle
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