<P> Antarctica is the coldest of Earth 's continents . It used to be ice - free until about 34 million years ago , when it became covered with ice . The coldest natural air temperature ever recorded on Earth was − 89.2 ° C ( − 128.6 ° F ) at the Soviet ( now Russian ) Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983 . For comparison , this is 10.7 ° C ( 20 ° F ) colder than subliming dry ice at one atmosphere of partial pressure , but since CO only makes up 0.039 % of air , temperatures of less than − 140 ° C ( − 220 ° F ) would be needed to produce dry ice snow in Antarctica . A lower air temperature of − 94.7 ° C ( − 138.5 ° F ) was recorded in 2010 by satellite -- however , it may be influenced by ground temperatures and was not recorded at a height of 7 feet above the surface as required for the official air temperature records . Antarctica is a frozen desert with little precipitation ; the South Pole itself receives less than 10 cm ( 4 in ) per year , on average . Temperatures reach a minimum of between − 80 ° C ( − 112 ° F ) and − 89.2 ° C ( − 128.6 ° F ) in the interior in winter and reach a maximum of between 5 ° C ( 41 ° F ) and 15 ° C ( 59 ° F ) near the coast in summer . Sunburn is often a health issue as the snow surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light falling on it . Given the latitude , long periods of constant darkness or constant sunlight create climates unfamiliar to human beings in much of the rest of the world . </P>
<P> Antarctica is the coldest of Earth 's continents . It used to be ice - free until about 34 million years ago , when it became covered with ice . The coldest natural air temperature ever recorded on Earth was − 89.2 ° C ( − 128.6 ° F ) at the Soviet ( now Russian ) Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983 . For comparison , this is 10.7 ° C ( 20 ° F ) colder than subliming dry ice at one atmosphere of partial pressure , but since CO only makes up 0.039 % of air , temperatures of less than − 140 ° C ( − 220 ° F ) would be needed to produce dry ice snow in Antarctica . A lower air temperature of − 94.7 ° C ( − 138.5 ° F ) was recorded in 2010 by satellite -- however , it may be influenced by ground temperatures and was not recorded at a height of 7 feet above the surface as required for the official air temperature records . Antarctica is a frozen desert with little precipitation ; the South Pole itself receives less than 10 cm ( 4 in ) per year , on average . Temperatures reach a minimum of between − 80 ° C ( − 112 ° F ) and − 89.2 ° C ( − 128.6 ° F ) in the interior in winter and reach a maximum of between 5 ° C ( 41 ° F ) and 15 ° C ( 59 ° F ) near the coast in summer . Sunburn is often a health issue as the snow surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light falling on it . Given the latitude , long periods of constant darkness or constant sunlight create climates unfamiliar to human beings in much of the rest of the world . </P>
when was the last date antarctica was free of ice
when was the last date antarctica was free of ice
about 34 million years ago
about 34 million years ago