An exploration of how the Cryogenian Period, when our planet was covered in ice for millions of years, created today's remarkable biodiversity

More than half a billion years ago, our world was completely covered by glaciers, a "Snowball Earth" that persisted for millions of years. Incredibly, this unimaginable cold led to the remarkable diversification of life on earth known as the Cambrian explosion. With a geologist's eye and a knack for storytelling, Graham Shields explores when and how such inhospitable conditions enabled animals to evolve, radiate, and diversify into our earliest ancestors.

This journey navigates the wild swings between hot and cold climates, oxygenation and asphyxiation, biological radiations and extinctions, asking how such instability relates to grander forces that brought our planet to its modern state. Shields guides readers through evidence found in the Australian outback, Mongolia, Scotland, and other locales, revealing how geologists can trace glaciation, the atmosphere, oceans, mountain building, and more through the earth's rocks, providing a comprehensive theory of how life evolved and diversified.

Author: Graham Shields
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 10/17/2023
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.18lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.87w x 0.78d
ISBN: 9780300242591


Review Citation(s):
Choice 05/01/2024

About the Author
Graham Shields is professor of geology at University College London. He lives in London, UK.