why and when did Antarctica started developing a permanent covering of ice. What must have happened to most of the plants and animals on Antarctica when the ice cap formed?
2007-12-09 02:47:14 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
The cause of the ice on Antarctica is believed to have been the position of the continents during the Eocene and Oligocene boundary. Antarctica and Austrailia were connected with each other as they moved south, away from the other continents. Then, Austrailia rifted away, opening up a large polar current around Antarctica. The water became cold, and so the land did, and the glaciers formed.
2007-12-09 03:52:15 · answer #1 · answered by paleosaurus 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Antarctica was a living continent until it slid toward the South Pole, that happened as Pangaea broke up about 250 million years ago. The super continent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras at that time, before each of the component continents were separated into their current configuration. There are fossils on Antarctica to show the life existed back then before the cold destroyed the chance of survival. It is believed that life stayed there longer than you would think, because the Earth was warmer then, but that is a guess at this point. Most of the ground has been taken away with the flow of glaciers, so there is very little record of the past.
2007-12-09 10:56:01 · answer #2 · answered by Steve C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its really cold. Thats why.
The plants and animals evolved or died. Like penguins, who evolved their extra fat layers to stay warm.
It got colder as the continent itself drifted away from its original location and moved south to where it is today. As it got further from the equator it got colder.
2007-12-09 22:47:49 · answer #3 · answered by Zachary L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋