Farmers pray for rain in times of drought. Most of us have wanted the heavens to open to help our garden in an excessively dry spell. However, none of us can imagine a period of rain lasting two million years. U.K. geologist Alastair Ruffell has found that 200-300 million years ago, before the landmass of Earth separated into continents, it did rain non-stop for up to two million years. Dr Ruffell said this helped the development of flora and fauna all over the globe. He believes the rain may have been sparked by a huge rise in humidity following a series of massive volcanic eruptions.

Dr Ruffell based his findings on research conducted on layers of rock in Europe's Alps in the 1970s and 80s. The data showed unusual deposits in ancient rock that dated back over 200 million years. Ruffell said this suggests the wet period may have been the "trigger" that allowed dinosaurs, and possibly "other members of our modern land-based fauna," to diversify. He added: "It may have been one of the most important events in the history of life." He suggested it was the origin of most classes of creatures like the turtles, crocodiles, lizards and mammals we see today.