What caused the ice ages?

Answer 1

you should specify which ice age; there have been hundreds. As far as why, that is a great question, and I don't think anyone has the answer. Ice ages are tied pretty close with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Carbon dioxide, you have probably heard, is a greenhouse gas, meaning it traps heat on earth and helps warm it up. Most carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean, but the ocean also re-releases a good amount. When ocean water freezes, it pulls the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and traps it, and the earth gets a little cooler. The more ice, the more carbon dioxide trapped, the cooler the earth, the more ice, and so forth. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Lots and lots of ice. Others say its possible that a supervolcano erupted, causing a temporary volcanic winter, which thus spread ice, which reflected sunlight, which caused the ice age. But that's theory.

Answer 3

when the climate cools enough, large areas of earth are covered by sheets of ice, or glaciers.

Answer 4

ice started to melt

Answer 5

anatomy of a glacier

Answer 6

Precession

Answer 7

Ice