CLIMATE HISTORY

Select one of the times from the list on the left and check out what the Earth's climate was like millions of years ago.

Or view an animation that shows how the Earth's climatic belts have changed through time.  View Climate Animation

We can determine the past climate of the Earth by mapping the distribution of ancient coals, desert deposits, tropical soils, salt deposits, glacial material, as well as the distribution of plants and animals that are sensitive to climate, such as alligators, palm trees & mangrove swamps.

More Info on how we determined the ancient climate.

ICE HOUSE or HOT HOUSE?

During the last 2 billion years the Earth's climate has alternated between a frigid "Ice House", like today's world, and a steaming "Hot House", like the world of the dinosaurs.

This chart shows how global climate has changed through time.