Gaskiers glaciation

The Gaskiers glaciation was a short but significant period of ice ages that happened about 579 million years ago, during the late Ediacaran Period. It was the last big glacial event of the Precambrian time and lasted less than 340,000 years. Unlike earlier ice ages, it did not cover the entire Earth in ice, so it was not a "Snowball Earth" event.

Scientists have found evidence of this glaciation on eight different ancient landmasses, some of which were near the equator. One important place where they found clues is at Gaskiers in Newfoundland. Here, thick layers of rock contain drops of stone that fell from glaciers, showing how cold the climate was.

This glaciation might have played a role in the evolution of strange ancient life forms known as the Ediacaran biota. After the ice melted, oxygen levels in the ocean rose sharply, which may have helped these organisms develop. However, careful dating shows that there was actually a gap of about 9 million years between the end of the glaciation and the appearance of these fossils. Another possible glaciation, called the Bou-Azzer glaciation, found in the West African Craton, might be the same event or a later one.