Definition of "interglacial" [interglacial]

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

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "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."
• "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."
• "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."