A period of global warmth during which glaciers and ice sheets retreat towards the poles They usually last about 10,000 years, and with the glacial, are associated with the Milankovitch Cycles We are currently within an interglacial
A period of time between ice ages characterized by relatively mild climate and the retreat of the continental ice sheets to Greenland and Antarctica
A warm period between two glaciations in the Ice Age During the interglacials, Britain was often warmer than it is today, and the sea-level rose by about 150 ft above that of today as the ice sheet melted Warmth-loving animals returned: hippopotamus, rhinoceros Compare this with the shorter, localised interstadial
Pertaining to or formed during the time interval between two successive glacial epochs or between two glacial stages Ther term implies both the melting of ice sheets to about their present level, and the maintenance of a warm climate for a sufficient length of time to permit certain vegatational changes to occur