Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Occurring between glacial epochs.
  • noun A comparatively short period of warmth during an overall period of glaciation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In geology, formed or occurring between two periods of glacial action: as, interglacial beds; an interglacial period.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Occurring between ice ages.
  • noun The relatively warm period between ice ages.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

inter- +‎ glacial

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Examples

  • It is of further interest to note that, had a hypothetical homothere population become isolated in interglacial Britain, it may only have lasted for about 1000 years before become extinct due to inbreeding.

    Archive 2006-03-01 Darren Naish 2006

  • During glacial periods and the short-term interglacial wet cycles in the late Pleistocene 10,000-20,000 years ago or later, Tulare Lake overflowed, and the resultant connections between the San Joaquin and Kern Rivers provided opportunities for trout to gain access to the Kern.

    Trout and Salmon of North America Robert J. Behnke 2002

  • During glacial periods and the short-term interglacial wet cycles in the late Pleistocene 10,000-20,000 years ago or later, Tulare Lake overflowed, and the resultant connections between the San Joaquin and Kern Rivers provided opportunities for trout to gain access to the Kern.

    Trout and Salmon of North America Robert J. Behnke 2002

  • During glacial periods and the short-term interglacial wet cycles in the late Pleistocene 10,000-20,000 years ago or later, Tulare Lake overflowed, and the resultant connections between the San Joaquin and Kern Rivers provided opportunities for trout to gain access to the Kern.

    Trout and Salmon of North America Robert J. Behnke 2002

  • During glacial periods and the short-term interglacial wet cycles in the late Pleistocene 10,000-20,000 years ago or later, Tulare Lake overflowed, and the resultant connections between the San Joaquin and Kern Rivers provided opportunities for trout to gain access to the Kern.

    Trout and Salmon of North America Robert J. Behnke 2002

  • Analysis of fossilised coral reefs off the Gulf of Mexico found many died during this time -- known to climatologists as an "interglacial" -- and were replaced by new reefs on higher ground.

    Climate Ark Climate Change & Global Warming RSS Newsfeed 2009

  • This concern developed a scientific gloss in recent decades, and it has been established that we are currently in an 'interglacial' - or warm - period between ice ages.

    ACT New Zealand - 2008

  • Over the past million years, it has been as warm as this or warmer for less than 10% of the time, during 11 brief episodes known as interglacial periods.

    Are We Holding a New Ice Age at Bay? Matt Ridley 2012

  • This has now been going on for 15,000 to 18,000 years, a life-friendly period known as an interglacial cycle.

    Confessions Of A Climate Crisis Skeptic 2010

  • A loss of genetic variation could also have resulted from the shift in climate as Earth entered the so-called interglacial period, a boon for many animals, but not for the giant tuskers, the study said.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

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