Dictionary:

deglaciation

  (dē-glā'shē-ā'shən, -sē-)

The uncovering of glaciated land because of melting or sublimation of the glacier.

The process by which glaciers reduce in thickness, and recede. Deglaciation usually results from climatic change, so that accumulation decreases and ablation increases, but it may be brought about by a rise in sea level which increases calving. The major processes are backwasting—the retreat of the glacier—and downwearing—the thinning of the ice, and there is much debate over the relative importance of each. Deglaciation is generally accompanied by the formation of recessional moraines and the release of meltwater, together with its associated landforms.