Geodynamic controls on glaciation in Earth history

The geological record of glaciation is sporadic. It begins with poor and fragmentary evidence from Archean rocks but there is unequivocal evidence of glaciation in the Paleoproterozoic of North America, Scandinavia and possibly South Africa, western Australia and India. There follows a long Mesoproterozoic nonglacial period, between about 2.0 and 1.0 Ga with no well-constrained evidence of glaciation but there is a return to sporadic glacial conditions from about 800 Ma to the Cambrian. Neoproterozoic glaciations were very widespread and evidence is preserved on all the present day continents. Some palaeomagnetic evidence suggests that Neoproterozoic glaciation may have taken place at low paleolatitudes but new data supports earlier concerns with regard to rapid plate motions and low latitude 'overprinting' in the Cambrian. 'Warm' climate strata in many Neoproterozoic glacial successions appear to be detrital in origin.