Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal
I don't think the southern hemisphere gets hot and dry. During the last ice age the Australian mainland had glaciation at Kosciusko, and both tasmania and New Zealand had glaciation.
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Actually, there is a general dispute over the amount Pliocene glaciation of Mt. Kosciusko, whose claims go back to Galloway, RW, "Glaciation in the Snowy Mountains: A Re-appraisal" (1963) - I think damage of the landscape from hot and cold (frost can slowly break up rocks ) was more of the cause of the appearance than glaciation. Also several million years ago, Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania was all much further south, so that it is thought that most of the evidence of glaciation would have occurred much earlier than the last Ice Age. (it also explains the geological differences from the Ice Ages between Australia and South America, as South America was closer to the equator - moving presently southwards.
The Snowy mountains is also an interesting point, as in the past, the volcanism of the whole
Great Dividing Range some 20-25 million years ago. Many of the geological features, I think, were created by variances in the terrain by erosion and not necessarily glaciation. I.e. Most of the valleys haven't got the familiar "V" shape of glaciers but are in fact more flatter "U" shaped.
However, it is a good point you are making here.
