<p>You need to examine the assumption that it "stabilized". Rather (and simplistically, of course), the Milankovitch cycle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles moved from a stable Ice Age regime to an interglacial one.  Absent the current human interference, it would (IIRC, anyway) continue the interglacial for some tens of thousands of years, before entering another ice age.</p>

<p>Nor does the end of the last Ice Age really correlate with the rise of large civilizations, since there was about a 5-6K year gap.  IOW, roughly as long from the end of the Ice Age to the first civilizations, as from them to the present.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-26T05:15:12.887Z
2016-02-26T05:15:12.887Z
jamesqf
<p>We can see that the last glacial period <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_glacial_period">ended 12-10K years ago</a>. Interestingly enough, this also appears to coincide with the rise of large human civilisations. </p>

<p>My question is: <strong>What caused the earth's climate to stabilise ~10 thousand years ago?</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-27T18:54:26.013Z
You need to examine the assumption that it "stabilized".  Rather (and simplistically, of course), the Milankovitch cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles moved from a stable Ice Age regime to an interglacial one.
jamesqf
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-21T01:33:12.840Z
"Interestingly enough": yes, but pretty obvious and known :-)
Fabrice NEYRET
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-25T01:02:18.113Z
@jamesqf: You may as well convert that into an answer.
naught101
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-07T12:00:41.760Z
" this also appears to coincide with the rise of large human civilisations" this is investigated in this book I think http://astore.amazon.com/brianfaganc03-20/detail/0465022820 read the first amazon review. No endorsement, I havent read it.
mart
<climate><earth-history><paleoclimatology><ice-age><glaciation>
What caused the earth's climate to stabilise ~10 thousand years ago?
hawkeye
# What caused the earth's climate to stabilise ~10 thousand years ago?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-27)

We can see that the last glacial period [ended 12-10K years ago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_glacial_period). Interestingly enough, this also appears to coincide with the rise of large human civilisations.

My question is: **What caused the earth's climate to stabilise ~10 thousand years ago?**

**Tags:** climate, earth-history, paleoclimatology, ice-age, glaciation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You need to examine the assumption that it "stabilized".  Rather (and simplistically, of course), the Milankovitch cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles moved from a stable Ice Age regime to an interglacial one.  
> **username_2**: "Interestingly enough": yes, but pretty obvious and known :-)  
> **username_3**: @username_1: You may as well convert that into an answer.  
> **username_4**: " this also appears to coincide with the rise of large human civilisations" this is investigated in this book I think http://astore.amazon.com/brianfaganc03-20/detail/0465022820 read the first amazon review. No endorsement, I havent read it.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-02-26. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

You need to examine the assumption that it "stabilized". Rather (and simplistically, of course), the Milankovitch cycle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch\_cycles moved from a stable Ice Age regime to an interglacial one. Absent the current human interference, it would (IIRC, anyway) continue the interglacial for some tens of thousands of years, before entering another ice age.

Nor does the end of the last Ice Age really correlate with the rise of large civilizations, since there was about a 5-6K year gap. IOW, roughly as long from the end of the Ice Age to the first civilizations, as from them to the present.


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