Final answer:
The Snowball Earth phenomenon, characterized by extreme global freezing during the late Precambrian, was caused by shifts in Earth's rotational axis and changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The climatic condition that the Earth underwent, which created an environment characterized by the freezing of almost the entire globe, was known as the Snowball Earth phenomenon. During the late Precambrian, Earth experienced extreme cooling, resulting in an ice age where ice and snow completely covered the planet.
This phenomenon is best understood as a result of changes in Earth's rotational axis tilt, affected by the gravitational pulls of other planets, along with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels due to factors like volcanic activity, which regulated the planet's temperature through the greenhouse effect. When carbon dioxide levels were low, less heat was trapped, leading to severe cooling and the onset of an ice age.
The Snowball Earth period is believed to have occurred at least once about a billion years ago, where it was so cold that even the oceans froze over.