Greenland Had No Ice For 280,000 Years 1.1 Million Years Ago, And Could Go That Way Again

The fact that over 80 percent of a landmass, more than a fifth the size of the United States, is covered in ice and is still called Greenland has b...

Karen Kluxen,

10/12/2016

The fact that over 80 percent of a landmass, more than a fifth the size of the United States, is covered in ice and is still called Greenland has been a source of frequent puzzlement for many, who wonder at the misnomer. And while there is evidence that the world’s largest island (smaller than Australia, which counts as a continent) was greener in the past than it is now, a new study shows Greenland could have been completely ice-free 1.1 million years ago.