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Definition:
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A period of greater glacier mass and extent, relative to the preceding and following periods, with increased glacier thickness and extension to lower altitudes. In different regions of the Earth, in both hemispheres, the Little Ice Age began and ended at different times, beginning as early as about AD 1300 and ending as late as about AD 1900, with one or more glacier advances distinguishable during that period. In many regions the LIA maximum glacier extent was also the maximum extent of the entire Holocene (the past 10 000 years). Gain of mass usually resulted from both enhanced accumulation and reduced ablation. See trimline.
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