Scientists have recorded five major ice ages throughout Earth’s history, some of them so severe that the entire Earth may have frozen over for tens of millions of years. There are many questions surrounding this; what triggered the low-latitude glaciations throughout the

Precambrian and how did they differ from the more recent Phanerozoic glaciations? How did life survive and how did these ice ages end?

Dr Catherine Rose of Trinity College Dublin will describe the field and geochemical evidence in the rocks that are proof of the oldest ice age in Earth’s history and of the subsequent ‘deep freeze’ Cryogenian period just before the ‘explosion’ of life in the Cambrian.

Part of the Belfast Geologists’ Society Winter lecture programme. All are welcome.