interglacial

American  

[in-ter-gley-shuhl] / ˌɪn tərˈgleɪ ʃəl /

adjective

Geology.

1. occurring or formed between times of glacial action.

---

interglacial British  

/ ˌɪntəˈɡleɪsɪəl, -ʃəl /

adjective

1. occurring or formed between periods of glacial action

---

noun

1. a period of comparatively warm climate between two glaciations, esp of the Pleistocene epoch

interglacial Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-glā′shəl /

1. Occurring between glacial epochs.

---

1. A comparatively short period of warmth during an overall period of glaciation. Interglacials are characterized both by the melting of ice and by a change in vegetation.

Etymology

Origin of interglacial

First recorded in 1865–70; inter- + glacial

Example Sentences

Prof. Dr. Wilfried Rosendahl, general director of the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim and project leader of "Eiszeitfenster Oberrheingraben" is convinced that ice age research still holds many exciting questions: "The current study provides important new insights which impressively prove that ice age was not the same everywhere, but local peculiarities taken together form a complex overall picture -- similar to a puzzle. It would now be interesting and important to further examine other heat-loving animal species, attributed so far to the last interglacial."

From Science Daily

"The results demonstrate that hippos did not vanish from middle Europe at the end of the last interglacial, as previously assumed," summarizes first author Dr. Patrick Arnold.

From Science Daily

"Therefore, we should re-analyze other continental European hippo fossils traditionally attributed to the last interglacial period."

From Science Daily

Earth has cycled through glacial and interglacial periods lasting hundreds of thousands of years.

From BBC

The objects date from the end of a warm interglacial period 300,000 years ago, about when early Neanderthals were supplanting Homo heidelbergensis, their immediate predecessors in Europe.

From New York Times