Pebbles justify the drama of the small ice age in the Roman Empire

• Southampton University scientists found new evidence of late antique little ice age
• The research team discovered that the icebergs were transported special rocks found on the west coast of Iceland
• Climate change may have been the last drop in the glass to the fall of the Roman Empire
• With the help of crystals found in rocks, researchers were able to accurately determine the origin of the rocks
• The research team found that the rocks machined by ice were probably deposited in the 7th century

It was discovered that the stones were transported there during a short ice age, which began around 540 AD and lasted for 200-300 years. Historians have long been arguing about the role of climate cool Roman Empire in the fall. This new research reinforces the argument that a short but intense cooling period could have finally shaken the empire that was already declining and played a key role migrations in this period, which transformed Europe during this period.

The last ice cube in the glass

« As far as the fall of the Roman Empire is concerned, this climate change may have been the last drop in the glass, » said Tom Gernon, professor of earth science at Southampton University, published in Geology study co -author. The Ice Age was supposed to be triggered by three volcanic ashs from three huge volcanic eruptions, which blocked sunlight and reduced global temperatures. The results of the research provide a new insight into climate disorders affecting the wider North Atlantic region.

« We knew that these rocks would not fit a bit because the rock types are not similar to anything today in Iceland, but we didn’t know where they come from, » said Dr. Christopher Spencer, associate professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, senior research On the news page of the University of Southampton.

The study co -author, Professor Ross Mitchell, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IgGCAS), said: « On the one hand, you are surprised to see anything other than basalt, but for the first time you see them, you immediately suspect they came from Greenland. »

By analyzing the age and composition of small mineral crystals called Circon, the team was able to determine the origin of the rocks by analyzing the age and composition of the rocks. To do this, scientists crushed the rocks into pieces and have separated hundreds of circon crystals, many of which are smaller than a feather tip.

« Circons are essentially time capsules that retain important information, including when crystallized and characterized by their composition. The combination of age and chemical composition allows us to buy fingerprints from the currently explored regions of the Earth, just as the forensic.

The research team has discovered that the range of rocks of rocks covers nearly three billion years, which is two thirds of the history of the Earth. Scientists were able to make fingerprints of rock debris related to Greenland regions, with a mosaic of pieces of ancient earth crust, about 0.5, 1-1.5 and 2.5-3 billion years old.

The pebbles came from Greenland with icebergs

« This is the first direct evidence that icebergs have been transporting large pebbles from Greenland to Iceland, » said Dr. Spencer from the approximately fucking round pieces. “The fact that the rocks Greenland They come from almost all geological regions, providing evidence of their ice age origin. As the glaciers move, they erode the landscape, they break and carry rocks from different areas, creating a chaotic and diverse mixture, some of which eventually stick to the ice, ”Professor Gernon added.

The research team found that these ice -worked rocks were probably deposited in the 7th century, which coincides with the significant climate change known as Bond 1. The coastal terraces emerged when the Earth slowly reversed after the last ice shell melting.

Professor Gernon also said that this timing coincides with the well -known episode of the ice break when huge pieces of ice break off the glaciers, drift through the ocean, and finally melt, scattering debris along the distant shores. To this, Dr. Spencer added what we see now is a good example of how much the climate system is connected. « When the glaciers grow, the icebergs fall apart, the ocean currents shift, and the landscapes change. The climate-driven iceberg activity may have been one of the many cascade effects of rapid cooling, » he pointed out.