New Delhi, India

The researchers have unravelled that the blue Earth - which in today's times has green terrains and blue oceans - was once a huge chunk of ice. 

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The scenario of "Snowball Earth" is not some sort of imagination but the reality of Earth millions of years ago.

In a new study conducted by the researchers of the University of Colorado Boulder, evidence has been found which indicated that the Earth was covered by giant glaciers till the equator millions of years ago. 

Because of the nature of the planet, Earth appeared like a celestial icicle. 

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What led to the Snowball Earth?

The study has added more evidence to the theory of Snowball Earth according to which from around 720 to 635 million years ago the climate of the planet was altered radically by various events. 

The temperatures dropped and huge ice sheets enveloped the planet from pole to pole. 

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“This study presents the first physical evidence that Snowball Earth reached the heart of continents at the equator,” stated Liam Courtney-Davies, who is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geological Sciences at CU Boulder and lead author of the new study. 

How the study was carried out?

The focus of the research was centred on the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains which held the coveted key to the frigid past, according to Courtney-Davies. 

A dating technique, called laser ablation mass spectrometry, was utilised by the geologists. 

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In this process, the scientists found that the rocks were forced underground between 690 to 660 million years ago because of the weight of the overlying glaciers.

Did life exist on Snowball Earth?

Courtney-Davies said that theory suggests the appearance of the first multicellular organisms in oceans after Snowball Earth thawed out.

“You have the climate evolving, and you have life evolving with it. All of these things happened during Snowball Earth upheaval,” said Courtney-Davies. 

“We have to better characterize this entire time period to understand how we and the planet evolved together. We want to get the word out so that others try and find these features and help us build a more complete picture of Snowball Earth,” he added. 

(With inputs from agencies)