Researchers report a statistical approach that incorporates astronomical theory and data from 1.4 billion-year-old and 55 million-year-old rock formations to develop improved estimates of Earth's axial precession rate, distance from the Moon, and length of day, as well as the periods of astronomically influenced climate cycles, when these rocks were formed, enabling reconstruction of the behavior of the ancient Solar System.
Article #17-17689: "Proterozoic Milankovitch cycles and the history of the solar system," by Stephen R. Meyers and Alberto Malinverno.
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephen R. Meyers, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI; tel: 608-609-1836; e-mail: < smeyers@geology.wisc.edu >
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences