Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pftt2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-08T12:56:20.128Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A reinterpretation of Scottish ‘hummocky moraine’ and its significance for the deglaciation of the Scottish Highlands during the Younger Dryas or Loch Lomond Stadial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

Matthew R. Bennett  and
Geoffrey S. Boulton
Matthew R. Bennett
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, The Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, U.K.
Geoffrey S. Boulton
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, The Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, U.K.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that much of the ‘hummocky moraine’ present within the northern part of the LochLomond Readvance ice cap formerly situated in the North West Scottish Highlands may be interpreted as suites of ice-front moraines deposited during active decay. These landforms can be used to reconstruct ice cap decay, whichleads to important insights into the shrinking form of the ice cap and associated environmental conditions. Evidence has been collected from 10803 airphotographs and from detailed field survey. It is presented at three spatial scales.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 130 , Issue 3 , May 1993 , pp. 301 - 318
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andersen, J. L. & Søllid, J. L. 1971. Glacial chronology and glacial geomorphology in the marginal zones of the glaciers Midtdalsbreen and Nigardsbreen, south Norway. Norsk Geografiska Tidsskrift 25, 1–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, T. C., Briffa, K. R. & Coope, G. R. 1987. Seasonal temperatures in Britain during the past 22,000 years, reconstructed using beetle remains. Nature 325, 587–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballantyne, C. K. 1986. Protalus rampart development and the limits of former glaciers in the vicinity of Basosbheinn, Wester Ross. Scottish Journal of Geology 22, 13–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballantyne, C. K. 1989. The Loch Lomond Readvance on the Isle of Skye, Scotland: glacier reconstruction and palaeoclimatic implications. Journal of Quaternary Science 4, 95–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballantyne, C. K. & Gray, J. M. 1984. The Quaternary geomorphology of Scotland: the research contribution of J. B. Sissons. Quaternary Science Reviews 3, 259–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benn, D. I. 1989. Debris transport by Loch Lomond Readvance glaciers in North Scotland: basin form and the within-valley asymmetry of lateral moraines. Journal of Quaternary Science 4, 243–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benn, D. I. 1991. Glacial landforms and sediments on Skye. In The Quaternary of the Isle of Skye: Field Guide (eds Ballantyne, C. K., Benn, D. I., Lowe, J. J. and Walker, M. J. C.), pp. 35–67. Cambridge: Quaternary Research Association.Google Scholar
Benn, D. I., Lowe, J. J. & Walker, M. J. C. 1992. Glacier response to climatic change during the Loch Lomond Stadial and early Flandrian: geomorphological and palynological evidence from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science 7, 125–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, M. R. 1990. The deglaciation of Glen Croulin, Knoydart. Scottish Journal of Geology 26, 41–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, M. R. & Glasser, N. F. 1991. The glacial land-forms of Glen Geusachan, Cairngorms: a reinterpretation. Scottish Geographical Magazine 107, 116–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S. 1968. Flow tills and related deposits on some Vestspitsbergen glaciers. Journal of Glaciology 7, 391–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S. 1972. Modern Arctic glaciers as depositional models for former ice sheets. Journal of Geological Society, London 128, 361–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S. 1986. Push-moraines and glacier-contact fans in marine and terrestrial environments. Sedimentology 33, 677–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S., Chroston, P. N. & Jarvis, J. 1981. A marine seismic study of late Quaternary sedimentation and inferred glacier fluctuations alongwestern Inverness-shire, Scotland. Boreas 10, 39–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S. & Clark, C. 1990. The Laurentide ice sheet through the last glacial cycle: the topology of drift lineations as a key to the dynamicbehaviour of former ice sheets. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 81, 327–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S. & Eyles, N. 1979. Sedimentation by valley glaciers: a model and genetic classification. In Moraines and Varves (ed. Schlüchter, C.), pp. 11–23. Rotterdam: Balkema.Google Scholar
Boulton, G. S. & Hindmarsh, R. C. A. 1987. Sediment deformation beneathglaciers: rheology and geological consequences. Journal of Geophysical Research 92, 9059–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S., Peacock, J. D. & Sutherland, D. G. 1991. Quaternary. In The Geology of Scotland, 3rd ed. (ed. Craig, G. Y.), pp. 503–43. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.Google Scholar
Boulton, G. S., Smith, G. D., Jones, A. S. & Newsome, J. 1985. Glacial geology and glaciology of the last mid-latitude ice sheets. Journal of the Geological Society, London 142, 447–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulton, G. S. & van der Meer, J. J. M. 1989. Preliminary report on an expedition to Spitsbergen in 1984 to study glaciotectonic phenomena (Glacitecs' 84). University of Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Charlesworth, J. K. 1955. The late-glacial history of the Highlands and islands of Scotland. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 62, 103–929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coope, G. R. 1977. Fossil coleopteran assemblages as sensitive indicators of climatic changes during the Devensian (Last) cold stage. PhilosophicalTransactions of the Royal Society, London B 280, 313–40.Google Scholar
Coope, G. R. & Brophy, J. A. 1972. Late Glacial environmental changes indicated by a coleopteran succession from North Wales. Boreas 1, 97–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dansgaard, W., White, J. W. C. & Johnsen, S. J. 1989. The abrupt termination of the Younger Dryas climate event. Nature 339, 532–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dyke, A. S. & Prest, V. K. 1987. Late Wisconsinan and Holocene history of the Laurentide ice sheet. Quaternary Science Review 2, 237–63.Google Scholar
Eybergen, F. A. 1986. Glacier snout dynamics and con-temporary push moraineformation at the Turtmannglacier, Wallis, Switzerland. In Tills and Gelaciotectonics, (ed. van der Meer, J. J. M.), 217–31. Rotterdam: Balkema.Google Scholar
Eyles, N. 1979. Facies of supraglacial sedimentation on Icelandic and Alpine temperate glaciers, Canadian Journal of Earth Science 16, 1341–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eyles, N. 1983. Modern Icelandic glaciers as depositional models for ‘hummocky moraine’ in the Scottish Highlands. In Tills and RelatedDeposits (eds Evenson, E. B., Schlüchter, C. and Rabasa, J.), pp. 47–59. Rotterdam: Balkema.Google Scholar
Gray, J. M. 1975. The Loch Lomond Readvance and contemporaneous sea-levels in Loch Etive and neighbouring areas of western Scotland. Proceedings ofthe Geological Association 86, 227–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J. M. 1982. The last glaciers (Loch Lomond Advance) in Snowdonia, North Wales. Geological Journal 17, 111–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J. M. & Coxon, P. 1991. The Loch Lomond Stadial glaciation in Britain and Ireland. In Glacial Deposits in Great Britain and Ireland (eds Ehlers, J., Gibbard, P. L. and Rose, J.), pp. 89–105. Rotterdam: Balkema.Google Scholar
Hewitt, K. 1967. Ice-front deposition and the seasonal effect: a Himalayan example. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 42, 93–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodgson, D. M. 1986. A study of fluted moraines in the torridon area, north-west Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science 1, 109–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hooke, R. LeB., Per Holmlund, C. P., Nilsson, M. & Stroeven, A. 1989. A3–year record of seasonal variations in surface velocity, Storglaciären, Sweden. Journal of Glaciology 35. 235–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoppe, G. 1952. Hummocky moraine regions, with special reference to the interior of Norrbotten. Geografiska Annaler 34, 1–72.Google Scholar
Humlum, O. 1985. Genesis of an imbricate push moraine, Höfdabrekkujökull, Iceland. Journal of Geology 93, 185–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ives, J. D. & King, C. A. M. 1954. Glaciological observations on Morsarjökull, S. W. Vatnajökull. Part 1. Ogive banding. Journal of Glaciology 2, 423–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krüger, J. 1985. Formation of a push moraine at the margin of Höfdabrekkujökull, South Iceland. Geografiska Annaler 67A, 199–212.Google Scholar
Lawson, D. E. 1979 A sedimentological analysis of the western terminus region of the Matanuska glacier, Alaska. U.S. Army Cold Regions Researchand Engineering Laboratory Report 79–9.Google Scholar
Lowe, J. J. & Walker, M. J. C. 1981. The early and Postglacial environment of Scotland: evidence from a site near Tyndrum, Perthshire. Boreas 10, 281–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lundqvist, J. 1986. Late Weichselian glaciation and deglaciation in Scandinavia. Quaternary Science Review 5, 269–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manley, G. 1959. The lateglacial climate of north-west England. Liverpool and Manchester Geological Journal 2, 188–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathews, W. H. 1959. Vertical distribution of velocity in Salmon glacier, British Columbia. Journal of Glaciology 3, 448–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, J. A., Cornish, R. & Shakesby, R. A. 1979. ’Saw-tooth‘ moraines in front of Bødalsbreen, southern Norway. Journal of Glaciology 22, 535–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, J. A. & Petch, J. R. 1982. Within-valley asymmetry and related problems of Neoglacial lateral moraine development at certain Jotunheimenglaciers, southern Norway. Boreas 11, 225–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, W. A. 1991. Western Pennines. Field Guide. London: Quaternary Research Association.Google Scholar
Nye, J. F. 1952. A comparison of the theoretical and the measured long profiles of the Unteraar glacier. Journal of Glaciology 2, 103–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orvig, S. 1953. On the variation of the shear stress on the bed of an ice-cap. Journal of Glaciology 2, 242–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paterson, W. S. B. 1970. The sliding velocity of Athabasca glacier, Canada. Journal of Glaciology 9, 55–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paterson, W. S. B. 1981. The Physics of Glaciers. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Peacock, J. D. 1967. West Highland moraine features aligned in the direction of ice flow. Scottish Journal of Geology 3, 327–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peacock, J. D. 1970. Some aspects of the glacial geology of west Inverness-shire. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Great Britain 33, 43–56.Google Scholar
Pierce, K. L. 1979. History and dynamics of glaciation in the Northern Yellowstone Park area. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper no. 729–F.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pórarinsson, S. 1967. Washboard moraines in front of Skeidarájökull. Jökull 17, 311.Google Scholar
Price, R. J. 1969. Moraines, Sandur, Kames and Eskers near Breidamerkurjökull, Iceland. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 46, 17–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price, R. J. 1971. The development and destruction of a sandur, Breidamerkurjökull, Iceland. Journal of Arctic and Alpine Research 3, 225–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price, R. J. 1973. Glacial and Fluvioglacial Landforms. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd.Google Scholar
Robinson, M. 1987. The Loch Lomond Readvance in Torridon and Applecross. In Wester Ross: Field Guide (ed Ballantyne, C. K. and Sutherland, D. G.), pp. 123–7. Cambridge: Quaternary Research Association.Google Scholar
Shakesby, R. A. 1989. Variability in Neoglacial moraine morphology and composition, Storbreen Jotunheim Norway: within-moraine patterns and the implications. Geografiska Annaler 71A, 17–29.Google Scholar
Sharp, M. 1984. Annual moraine ridges at Skálafellsjökull, South-East Iceland. Journal of Glaciology 30, 82–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharp, M. 1985. ‘Crevasse-fill’ ridges - a landform type characteristic of surging glaciers? Geografiska Annaler 67A, 213–20.Google Scholar
Simpson, J. B. 1933. The Late-glacial readvance moraines of the Highland border west of the River Tay. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 61, 687–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1965. Quaternary. In The Geology of Scotland (ed. Craig, G. Y.). pp. 467–503. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.Google Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1967. The Evolution of Scotland's Scenery. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd.Google Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1974 a. The Quaternary in Scotland: a review. Scottish Journal of Geology 10, 311–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1974 b. A lateglacial ice cap in the central Grampians, Scotland. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 62,95–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1976. The Geomorphology of the British Isles: Scotland. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1977 a. The Loch Lomond Readvance in the northern mainland ofScotland. In Studies in the Scottish Late Glacial Environment (eds Gray, J. M. and Lowe, J. J.), pp. 45–59. Oxford: Pergamon Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1977 b. Former ice-dammed lakes in Glen Moriston, Inverness-shire. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 2, 224–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1979 a. Palaeoclimatic inferences from former glaciers in Scotland and the Lake District. Nature 278, 518–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1979 b. The Loch Lomond Stadial in the Cairngorm mountains. Scottish Geographical Magazine 95, 66–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1980 a. Palaeoclimatic inferences from Loch Lomond Advance glaciers. In Studies in the Late Glacial of North West Europe (eds Lowe, J. J., Gray, J. M. and Robinson, J. E.), pp. 31–43. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1980 b. The Loch Lomond Advance in the Lake District, Northern England. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 71, 13–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1982. A former ice-dammed lake and associated glacier limitsin the Achnasheen area, central Ross-shire. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 7, 98–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sissons, J. B. 1983. Quaternary. In the Geology of Scotland, 2nd. (ed. Craig, G. Y.), pp. 399–424. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.Google Scholar
Sissons, J. B. & Sutherland, D. G. 1976. Climatic inferences from former glaciers in the south-east Grampian Highlands, Scotland. Journal of Glaciology 17, 325–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sugden, D. E. 1970. Landforms of deglaciation in the Cairngorms, Scotland. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 51, 201–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutherland, D. G. 1984 a. Modern glacial characteristics as a basis for inferring former climate with particular reference to the Loch Lomond Stadial. Quaternary Science Review 3, 291–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutherland, D. G. 1984 b. The Quaternary deposits and landforms of Scotland and the neighbouring shelves: a review. Quaternary Science Review 3, 157–254.Google Scholar
Sutherland, D. G. 1987. Day 1: Achnasheen. In Wester Ross: Field Guide (eds Ballantyne, C. K. and Sutherland, D. G.), pp. 65–70. Cambridge: Quaternary Research Association.Google Scholar
Thome, K. N. 1972. Asymmetries in glacier structure and their influence on glacier movement and glacier deposition. Proceedings of the 24th International Geological Congress (Canada) section 12, 198–211.Google Scholar
Thompson, A. 1988. Historical development of the proglacial landforms of Svinafellsjökull and Skaftafellsjökull, southeast Iceland. Jökull 38, 17–30.Google Scholar
Thorp, P. W. 1986. A mountain ice field of Loch Lomond Stadial age, westernGrampians, Scotland. Boreas 15, 83–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorp, P. W. 1991 a. The glaciation and glacial deposits of the western Grampians. In Glacial Deposits in Great Britain and Ireland (eds Ehlers, J., Gibbard, P. L. and Rose, J.), pp. 137–49. Rotterdam: Balkema.Google Scholar
Thorp, P. W. 1991 b. Surface profiles and basal shear stresses of outlet glaciers from a Late-glacial mountain ice field in western Scotland. Journal of Glaciology 37, 77–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tipping, R. M. 1988. The recognition of glacial retreat from palynological data: a review of recent work in the British Isles. Journal of Quaternary Science 3, 171–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, W. H. 1955. The flow of Highway Glacier. Journal of Glaciology 2, 592–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wendler, G. & Ishikawa, N. 1974. The effect of slope, exposure and mountain screening on the solar radiation of McCall glacier, Alaska: a contribution to the International Hydrological Decade. Journal of Glaciology 13, 213–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar