What evidence best supports the Milankovitch hypothesis?

Question

Luke Allen · Accepted Answer

Evidence supporting Milankovitch’s theory of the precise timing of the ice ages first came from a series of fossil coral reefs that formed on a shallow ocean bench in the South Pacific during warm interglacial periods.

More evidence followed, when scientists started to analyze the paleoclimate evidence in the Greenland and Antarctic ice cores, they found that the record also supported Milankovitch’s theory of when ice ages should occur.

Milankovitch proposed that three basic factors—eccentricity, obliquity, and precession—affect variations in the intensity of solar radiation received from the Earth. 1) Obliquity: the Earth's axis tilt varies between 21.5 and 24.5 degrees over a period of about 41,000 years; 2) Eccentricity: the Earth's orbit will change from a nearly circular orbit to a more elliptical orbit over a period of 100,000 years; 3) Precession: the Earth's axis wobbles like a spinning top over a period of approximately 23,000 years. According to Milankovitch, these regular cycles of the Earth alter the planet's relationship with the Sun, influencing the planet's climate and producing cycles of heat and cold.

Levi Anderson · Answer

undefined Geological evidence consistent with Milankovitch cycles is found in sediment cores from the ocean floor and ice cores from glaciers, which record past climate variations and show cyclical patterns of climate change that correspond to variations in Earth's orbit and axial tilt predicted by Milankovitch cycles. Other geological evidence that supports Milankovitch cycles includes glacial moraines and ancient shorelines.