Which modern regions had widespread glaciation during the Early Permian Epoch?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

During the Early Permian Epoch, widespread glaciation occurred across regions that were located at high paleolatitudes within the supercontinent of Gondwana.

Geological evidence for this glaciation, primarily in the form of tillites (glacial deposits), is found in the following modern-day regions:

  • Africa: Specifically in southern Africa, such as the Dwyka Series of the Karoo System, as well as in Namibia.123
  • South America: Including the Paraná Basin of southern Brazil and the Precordillera Basin of western Argentina.3
  • Asia: Peninsular India, southern Tibet, and southern Thailand.13
  • Australia: Eastern and Western Australia.413
  • Antarctica: Where glacial deposits are also present.1

Additionally, glacial deposits from the same period have been identified in the northern high paleolatitudes of northeastern Siberia. These distributions are consistent with paleogeographic reconstructions placing these areas in cold, high-latitude positions during the Permian Period.13