We are in the middle of an ice age right now. It started 2.5million years ago. During this ice age there have been many glacials and many interglacials. We are in an interglacial at present. The previous one was 125,000 years ago and has various names around the world but perhaps the most common name is the Eemian. The present interglacial started, arguably, 20,000 years ago when the extent of the continental ice sheets was at its maximum. Most scientists, thought, consider the start of the present interglacial at about 11,000 years ago when melting really got under way. Interglacials seem to be triggered by Milankovitch cycles with the Obliquity (tilt of the earth) apparently being the most important. Over the past 1 million years of the present 2.5m year ice age, only about every third nudge has resulted in an interglacial. Because of our output of Carbon dioxide, it is thought that the onset of the next glacial will be much delayed.
http://mtkass.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/end-of-ice-ages.html
maybe
http://mtkass.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/end-of-ice-ages.html
maybe
