大陆移动缓慢。相比之下，冰期是短暂的。也就是说，板块构造与地球是处于冰窖还是温室条件之间显然有着巨大的联系。当地球处于温室(又名温室)条件下时，地球上几乎没有冰。恐龙在靠近两极的地方游荡。在冰窖环境下，地球的气候过去是(现在也是)相当凉爽。大范围的冰川作用只发生在地球冰窖条件下。请注意，我们目前处于地球冰窖条件下;我们只是碰巧处在冰期之间。

以下促成地球冰窖的条件都是由板块构造造成的:

• 有一块大陆停在极点上。
  例如，南极洲目前停在南极点上。 This is not a sufficient condition, however. Antarctica has been parked over the South Pole for 100 million years or so. The Earth has been in icehouse conditions for the last 30 million or so years, and in ice age conditions for about the last 2.3 million years.

• Having significant land masses within 45 degrees of a pole.
  With the possible exception of snowball Earth (icehouse Earth gone wild), icehouse conditions need significant amounts of land near a pole. Having one continent parked over the pole but most of the continents close to the equator doesn't create icehouse conditions.

• Having relatively low seafloor spreading at midoceanic ridges.
  This is crucial, for two reasons. Lots of seafloor spreading means lots of CO₂ being released into the oceans and eventually into the atmosphere, thereby enhancing the greenhouse effect. Lots of seafloor spreading also means more and higher midoceanic ridges. This raises the sea level, which in turn increases the amount of Earth's surface covered by water, which in turn decreases the Earth's albedo. Reduced seafloor spreading means reduced CO₂ levels, reduced sea level, and increased albedo.

• Having oceanic currents keep equatorial regions warm, polar regions cool.
  The opening of the Drake Passage about 41 million years ago and the opening of the Tasmanian Gateway about 35 million years ago enabled the cold circum-Antarctic current to form. This is when Antarctica turned from just cold to < expletive deleted > cold. The closure of the Panama seaway between 13 and 2.6 million years was the last nail in the coffin regarding current ice age (as opposed to mere icehouse) conditions.