SYDNEY, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- An Australian-led new research has revealed how ancient glaciers allowed complex life to flourish by reshaping the Earth's surface.

In a study published on Wednesday, researchers from Australia, the UK and Canada analyzed crystals from ancient rocks and discovered that massive ancient glaciers scraped deep into the Earth's crust as they carved through the landscape, releasing minerals that changed the chemistry of oceans.

Chris Kirkland, lead author of the study from Curtin University in Western Australia, said the process created conditions that enabled complex life to evolve.

"When these giant ice sheets melted, they triggered enormous floods that flushed minerals and their chemicals, including uranium, into the oceans," he said in a media release.

"This influx of elements changed ocean chemistry at a time when more complex life was starting to evolve."

The research, which was published in the journal Geology, was conducted in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth and Canada's St. Francis Xavier University.

Kirkland said the findings offered new insights into modern climate change and how historic climate shifts caused major environmental transformations.

He said that better understanding past events can help scientists more accurately predict how ongoing changes to the climate could reshape the environment. Enditem

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