In Which vs When

[shankhamala28]

I want to know the usage of "in which vs when" when we use these with words referring to "period/age".

Since, I have framed the following sentences, they might sound illogical:
1.
The Ice Age, in which the Continental Drift occurred, began 2.6 million years ago at the time of XYZ epoch.

or

The Ice Age, when Continental Drift occurred, began 2.6 million years ago at the time of XYZ epoch.

Which of the above sentences is correct?


2. The Mughal period, in which Akbar ruled, is called the "the classic period".

vs.

The Mughal period, when Akbar ruled, is called the "the classic period".

Which of the above sentences is correct in terms of usage of when vs in which?

I know when is used to refer to a particular timeframe. Isn't a particular age/ period mentioned in a sentence referring to some specific timeframe?

[RonPurewal]

in these two examples, either option is ok.

have you ever seen this sort of thing as a decision point in an official problem?

[carrillo1228]

Sorry to raise an old thread, but I'm researching the same question.

This in which / when is a decision point in OG13 #72.

You can still answer the question by looking at the meaning of each sentence and ignoring the initial split but wondering what is the best way to think about the in "which / when" split.

[RonPurewal]

Sorry to raise an old thread, but I'm researching the same question.

This in which / when is a decision point in OG13 #72.

Both options are fine.

Not every split is actually a decision point; many are distractions.

We're not technically supposed to be discussing the OG here, so this conversation should be extremely limited... but, have you looked at the answer key? The answer key explicitly states that these two "can be used interchangeably" here.

[carrillo1228]

Got it. Many thanks Ron. I'll refer to the explanations / OG guidance.

[RonPurewal]

You're welcome.

[OliviaG480]

Hi, Ron,

So "in which" and "when" can be used interchangeably, but can "in which" refer to the word "time"?

eg: She earned it at a time in which...

Thanks in advance!

[RonPurewal]

Hi, Ron,

So "in which" and "when" can be used interchangeably, but can "in which" refer to the word "time"?

eg: She earned it at a time in which...

Thanks in advance!

that's not really going to work, because "at a time" suggests a very particular moment in time.
"in", on the other hand, goes with longer periods of time (in that period, in her lifetime, in the early days of the firm, etc.)