Ancient riverbed
deposits of mud rock — rocks containing bits of clay and silt smaller than grains of sand — began increasing around 458 million years ago, around the time that rootless
plants became common across Earth, researchers say.
We can determine the past climate of the Earth by mapping the distribution of
ancient coals, desert
deposits, tropical soils, salt
deposits, glacial material, as well as the distribution of
plants and animals that are sensitive to climate, such as alligators, palm trees & mangrove swamps.