Book description
Did the Earth once undergo a super ice age, one that froze the entire
planet? A global adventure story and a fascinating account of
scientist Paul Hoffman's quest to prove his maverick 'Snowball Earth'
theory, this is science writing at its most gripping.
In SNOWBALL EARTH, Gabrielle Walker takes us on a thrilling natural
history expedition in search of supporting evidence for the audacious
theory which argues that the Earth experienced a climatic cataclysm
600 million years ago that froze the entire planet from the poles to
the equator. Because the global snowball happened so long ago the ice
has now long gone - but it left its traces in rocks around the world
and in order to see the evidence, Walker visited such places as
Australia, Namibia, South Africa and Death Valley, USA. Part adventure
story and part travel book, it's a tale of the ultimate human
endeavour to understand our origins.
GABRIELLE WALKER is a features editor for New Scientist and has also
written for The Economist and a host of other publications. She lives in
London.
