Keywords
Paleoproterozoic, ice ages, snowball earth, rise of atmospheric oxygen
Definition
The Huronian glaciation is the oldest series of protracted climatic refrigeration events that extensively affected Earth between 2.45 and 2.22 Ga in association with the rise of the atmospheric oxygen. During these events, glaciers covered continents, extended to low latitudes, and reached there sea level. The ice ages were followed by a protracted time interval with greenhouse (warm and humid) conditions. The name is derived from the Huronian Supergroup, a glacio-marine to fluvio-deltaic sedimentary sequence of dolostone, siltstone, argillites, diamictites, and sandstones exposed on the north shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada between Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, and Cobalt.
History
The Huronian glacial deposits were first recognized by Coleman (1907) in the north-eastern part of the Huronian Basin in Ontario, Canada; just a...
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References and Further Reading
Bekker A, Holland HD, Wang P-L, Rumble D III, Stein HJ, Hannah JL, Coetzee LL, Beukes NJ (2004) Dating the rise of atmospheric oxygen. Nature 427:117–120
Bekker A, Kaufman AJ, Karhu JA, Eriksson KA (2005) Evidence for Paleoproterozoic cap carbonates in North America. Precambrian Res 137:167–206
Bekker A, Karhu JA, Kaufman AJ (2006) Carbon isotope record for the onset of the Lomagundi carbon isotope excursion in the Great Lakes area, North America. Precambrian Res 148:145–180
Coleman AP (1907) A lower Huronian ice age. Am J Sci 23:187–192
Eskola PE (1919) Hufvuddragen av Onega-Karelens geology: Helsingin Geol. Yhd. Tiedonantoja 1917 u. 1918, pp 13–18, and Teknikern, 29, pp 37–39
Evans DA, Beukes NJ, Kirschvink JL (1997) Low-latitude glaciation in the Paleoproterozoic era. Nature 386:262–266
Hannah JL, Bekker A, Stein HJ, Markey RJ, Holland HD (2004) Primitive Os and 2316 Ma age for marine shale: implications for Paleoproterozoic glacial events and the rise of atmospheric oxygen. Earth Planet Sci Lett 225:43–52
Marmo JS, Ojakangas RW (1984) Lower Proterozoic glaciogenic deposits, eastern Finland. GSA Bull 95:1055–1062
Pettijohn FJ (1943) Basal Huronian conglomerates of Menominee and Calumet districts Michigan. J Geol 51:387–397
Rogers AW (1906) The glacial beds in the Griqua town series. Rep S Afr Assoc Adv Sci 4:261–265
Trendall AF (1976) Striated and faceted boulders from the Turee Creek Formation – evidence for a possible Huronian glaciation on the Australian continent. Geol Surv West Aust Annu Rep 1975:88–92
Visser JNJ (1971) The deposition of the Griquatown glacial member in the transvaal supergroup. Trans Geol Soc S Afr 74:187–199
Young GM (1970) An extensive Early Proterozoic glaciation in North America? Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 7:85–101
Young GM (2004) Earth’s earliest glaciations: tectonic setting and stratigraphic context of Paleoproterozoic glaciogenic deposits. In: Jenkins GS, McMenamin MAS, McKay CP, Sohl L (eds) The extreme Proterozoic: geology, geochemistry, and climate. AGU Geophysical Monograph Series 146, pp 161–181
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Bekker, A. (2011). Huronian Glaciation. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_742
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_742
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