Overview

• Geologists used plate tectonic modeling to determine low volcanic CO2 emissions and weathering of volcanic rocks in Canada as key factors.
• The Sturtian glaciation, lasting from 717 to 660 million years ago, marked one of the most extreme icehouse climates in Earth's history.
• The study highlights Earth's built-in thermostat and the sensitivity of global climate to atmospheric carbon concentration.
• Research raises questions about Earth's long-term future, comparing potential outcomes with past geological climate changes.
• Human-induced climate change is occurring at a pace 10 times faster than historical geological climate changes, according to NASA.