glacial
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Related to glacial: Glacial erosion
glacial
1. characterized by the presence of masses of ice
2. relating to, caused by, or deposited by a glacier
3. (of a chemical compound) of or tending to form crystals that resemble ice
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Glacial
intervals of time in the geological history of the earth, characterized by a strong cooling of the climate and the development of extensive continental ice sheets.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
glacial
[′glā·shəl] (geology)
Pertaining to an interval of geologic time which was marked by an equatorward advance of ice during an ice age; the opposite of interglacial; these intervals are variously called glacial periods, glacial epochs, glacial stages, and so on.
(hydrology)
Pertaining to ice, especially in great masses such as sheets of land ice or glaciers.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.