00:00Glaciers are some of our planet's oldest inhabitants, but during several icy periods throughout history, they covered much more of Earth's surface.
00:11Now scientists have found evidence of the oldest glacier ever in South Africa, and it's raising new questions about our planet's ice ages.
00:18What researchers found were rocks impregnated with oxygen isotopes, discovered under one of the world's biggest gold deposits.
00:24These glacial deposits were then dated in a lab, with researchers saying they're likely from around 2.9 billion years ago.
00:31And they say this could change the way geologists look at our planet's historical freezing periods.
00:35The researchers explained this new evidence could mean there was another previously undiscovered ice age for our planet.
00:41Experts have deduced there were likely two ice ages in the past, both taking place within the last 650 to 700 million years.
00:48This one would predate those substantially.
00:50They also admit that way back then the continent that is now South Africa could have been situated somewhere closer to the poles.
00:56Meaning no global cooling event, but rather it was simply located in a cooler spot on the planet.
01:02What do you think?
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