September 01, 2023
Scientists at Niigata University in Japan and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have found water droplets in mineral deposits across the western Kumaon Himalayas in Uttarakhand, extending from Amritpur to the Milam glacier and Dehradun to the Gangotri glacier area. According to scientists, these droplets belong to an ocean that existed approximately 600 million years ago. On analysing the deposits, scientists found magnesium and calcium carbonates in them, which sheds light on a time between 700 and 500 million years ago when the Earth experienced a major glacial event known as the Snowball Earth glaciation. An event known as the Second Great Oxygenation Event succeeded this, which caused different life forms to evolve.
Image for representational purposes
