ROCKS found by scientists on a beach in the region could hold the key to combating global warming, according to new research.

A team from the Open University has been studying mudrocks from Whitby, North Yorkshire, for the past three years.

They have found that the Earth recovered from a sudden episode of global warming at the time of the dinosaurs and believe this sheds more light on how the planet could fight the growing problem of global warming.

About 180 million years ago, the planet suddenly got 5C hotter when a large amount of methane was released from the seabed. This then turned into "greenhouse gas" carbon dioxide.

The university team, led by Dr Anthony Cohen, found that the sudden hot spell caused the rate of weathering of rocks on the Earth's surface to rapidly increase.

This intense rock-weathering caused a series of chemical reactions that consumed the atmosphere's extra carbon dioxide, effectively putting a brake on global warming.

About 150,000 years later, life was flourishing again.

Dr Cohen said: "Our findings are of the broadest interest because past events of this nature demonstrate how the Earth recovers from large, natural perturbations and how the long-term stability of its climate is maintained.

"What we have learnt from these rocks is how the Earth can - over a long time - combat global warming. What we need to discover now is why and at what point it goes into combat mode, and precisely how long the conflict takes to resolve."

The detailed findings of Dr Cohen's research will be featured in the February issue of American Geology Society Journal.