Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Testing The Late Paleozoic Ice Volume Paradox In The Southernmost Paraná Basin, Brazil, Nicholas David Fedorchuk

Theses and Dissertations

The late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA; ~372-259 Ma) was the last complete transition from icehouse to greenhouse conditions on a fully vegetated Earth, making it a relevant analog for modern Earth systems. High frequency glacioeustatic fluctuation of ~100-200 m during the late Paleozoic are described by some authors in low paleolatitude basins and attributed to the orbitally-driven, waxing and waning of a massive (~20-35 x 106 km2) hypothetical ice sheet. This massive ice sheet is traditionally interpreted to have covered much of southern Gondwana for >100 m.y. Meanwhile, recent studies of high-paleolatitude glacial deposits imply a much more complex pattern …