answersLogoWhite

0

The widely held theory of "Snowball Earth" which entirely covered the planet some 600-700 million years indicates that there is no place on the planet that at one time or another has not been covered in snow or ice. It is possible for it to snow at tropical locals with sufficient altitude, examples being Kilimanjaro, Mauna Kea and the Andes Mountains. With the advent of the most recent global warming phase many of these unique locations are seeing snowfall at an ever decreasing rate. The glaciers on Kilimanjaro for example are retreating to quickly that they are expected to be entirely gone in our generation. Rephrased, where on earth has it gone the longest without snow? Most likely the Atacama desert as it is believed by experts to be the oldest, driest desert on earth with an estimated age of 20 million years. Even though some areas average 1millimeter of precipitation annually there are existing weather stations that have never received any rain/snow whatsoever. At one location it has been estimated that no moisture had fallen from the period 1570-1971. There are mountains in the desert that reach up to 6,885 metres or 22,590 feet in altitude that evidence suggest have been completely free of glaciers for as long as 2.5 million years not for lack of cold rather lack of precipitation. Therefore one could say with a significant degree of confidence that the one area on earth that has gone the longest without receiving any snow would be the lower elevations of the Atacama Desert in Chile, South America. Global warming may well be reducing the number of sites where snow is possible but with a head start of several million years the sterile plains of the Atacama are difficult to if not impossible at this time/era to beat. Even the low altitude islands and coral atolls of the Pacific due to their relatively young geologic age cannot beat out the Atacama when it comes to greatest breadth of time without snow.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?

Trending Questions
Is the study of the earth's atmosphere called Geology? What is the formula for Cesium nitrate? What are the major factors that make Vancouver's and Calgary's climates so different? What is the underground rock layer which water flows through? What do you call someone who specializes in earthquakes? What process do certain prokaryotes use nitrates or sulfates rather than oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor? Why is petroleum always found in an area of sedimentary rock? What are chemical formulas for carbon tetrachloride and calcium bromide? What are the side effects of taking too much calcium? What is it called when the soil washes away? What happens to rocks when earthquakes occur? The fact that similar fossils are found on both sides of the ocean is evidence of . global positioning oceanic drifts continental drift magnetic reversal? What causes the earth's plates to move apart? Which type of rock takes millions of years to form? What is the world's strongest earthquake in Alaska on the month of march? What are electrical suzis on a Arctic truck? What does the L in l-waves stand for? In a paper on effect of acid rain on a deciduous forest in which section would you find a detailed report of all observations and measurements? What is meant by Nernstian response of the fluoride electrode? A boron atom has two electrons in the first energy level and three in the second energy level Compare the relative energies of the electrons in these two energy levels.?