Milankovitch Theory
q Milankovitch suggested that the critical
factor for Northern Hemisphere
continental glaciation was the amount of
summertime insolation at high northern
latitudes.
q Low summer insolation occurs during
times when Earth’s orbital tilt is small.
q Low summer insolation also results from
the fact that the northern hemisphere’s
summer solstice occurs when Earth is
farthest from the Sun and when the orbit
is highly eccentric.