Santa

How were the North Pole and South Pole ice caps formed?

Presently the ice in the North Pole and South Pole is melting due to global warming, but how and when was the ice formed. Was there some super coolant to freeze the waters of the oceans?

Public Comments

1. The weather got colder, and the amount of snowfall increased. That, certainly in the south, effected the oceanic currents. A cold current circulates around Antarctica, and blocked off incoming currents from warmer areas. That made things still more extreme. The formation of these ice caps set in at something like 40 million years ago for the south, although I seem to recall hearing it happened somewhat more recently at the Arctic. <<Was there some super coolant to freeze the waters of the oceans?>> Most the water isn't frozen. The ice is only forms at the top for much of the time over the Arctic Ocean. Antarctica, on the other hand, happens to be a continent, and much of the southern icecap is on land.