Exploring the evidence for Snowball Earth in Scotland and the North Atlantic region: a tale of Late Precambrian ice ages

DETAILS

Outline: This talk examines how the concept of global glaciation in Late Precambrian (Neoproterozoic) time has evolved over the past century and more, culminating in the controversial theory of “Snowball Earth”. We take a brief look at the fieldwork we undertook in Svalbard and East Greenland in the 1970s and 1980s and then again in the 2010s. However, mostly we focus on our recent field investigations, led by Tony Spencer, on the remarkably well-preserved glacial strata on the Garvellach Islands and the Isle of Islay in western Scotland, and offer some insights into what might be appropriate modern analogues of that ancient glaciation. This work is currently being worked up for a Memoir of the Geological Society.

The presenter: Mike Hambrey is Emeritus Professor of Glaciology at Aberystwyth University, and resident of Threlkeld. He has published extensively on the topic of Neoproterozoic glaciation, particularly in the Arctic, but also has research interests in contemporary glaciology. His latest book, “Our Frozen Planet” is due to be published on 23rd October, and is a photographic journey through the world of snow and ice, with emphasis on climate change.