Multimedia Gallery
Ice and Continents -- Geologic Time
Evidence suggests Earth has had long periods of cyclical glaciation from the Proterozoic Era when some researchers suggest the planet was completely covered in ice. New studies also suggest there may have been bands of tropical ice as well during the Late Paleozoic. Researchers say extreme climate changes during the four eras of Earth's existence could have had a powerful impact on life on the planet.
To learn more about Charles Darwin and his contributions to science, see the National Science Foundation special report, Evolution of Evolution: 150 Years of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. (Date of Image: 2008)
Credit: Illustration by Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation
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