Because of its short duration, many geologists consider the Andean-Saharan Ice Age to be a minor period of glaciation. The majority of the ice and glaciers were concentrated over Africa and the eastern region of present-day Brazil. As the temperatures continued to drop, ice sheets were later formed over present-day South America, across the Amazon region and into the Andes Mountains. Researchers believe that ice sheets began to form over the present-day Sahara Desert across Morocco, West Africa, and Saudi Arabia between 450 and 440 million years ago. Its name is drawn from the pattern of glaciation that occurred during this time. The Andean-Saharan Ice Age, also known as the Andean-Saharan Glaciation, took place between 450 and 420 million years ago. As a result, large vertebrate (both land roaming and flying species) were able to evolve. As oxygen levels increased, animals began to experience changes to their metabolic systems. The major effect of the Karoo Ice Age is often cited as the increased evolution of plants and animals during this time. As these changes occurred, the summers were not warm enough to melt the ever-increasing ice sheets around the world. As these plants grew to immense sizes, they worked to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide and increase the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere.
Most theories of how this ice age was first created are primarily rooted in the knowledge that plants on land began to undergo significant evolutionary changes during this time. During the earliest part of this ice age, scientists believe that ice sheets grew from the southern region of both present-day Africa and present-day South America. The Karoo Ice Age took place sometime between 360 and 260 million years ago and was initially recorded during the 1800’s. It is believed that this ice age has resulted in more lakes than any other ice age in the past. The erosion and sedimentary deposits caused by these glaciers has been instrumental in the creation of large mountain ranges, deep river valleys, and lakes and rivers. One thing is certain, the current ice age has had a massive effect on the general geography of the surface of the earth in less time than previous ice ages. These theories include everything from the influence of ocean currents to tectonic plate activity. Several theories exist to explain why the Quaternary Glaciation period has occurred. As these ice sheets have grown, the amount of sunlight reflected back into the atmosphere has also increased, resulting in cooler temperatures across the globe.
This period of glaciation began approximately 2.58 million years ago and is characterized by the expansion of ice sheets over both Greenland and Antarctica. The Quaternary Ice Age, also known as the Quaternary Glaciation, is the ice age that is currently being experienced by earth. This article takes a closer look at each of these 5 ice ages: Quaternary, Karoo, Andean-Saharan, Cryogenian, and Huronian. According to this definition, the earth is currently in the midst of an ice age and has experienced at least five over the course of history. Scientifically speak, the world experiences an ice age any time ice sheets are present over the extreme points of the northern and southern hemispheres. Ice ages may last for millions of years and when they end, the earth begins experiencing warmer temperatures once again. These cold temperatures result in the growth and expansion of glaciers and ice sheets around the globe.
The term ice age is used to refer to a period of time in which the earth experiences colder temperatures on average.