The gravel fans of upper Glen Roy,Lochaber, Scotland: their importance for understanding glacial,proglacial and glaciolacustrine dynamics during the Younger Dryas cold period in an Atlantic margin setting

Over the past 200 years significant research effort has gone into explaining the origin of the obvious former shorelines in Glen Roy (the so-called “Parallel Roads”). The large gravel deposit at the mouth of Glen Turret has attracted similar interest, but a solution to its origin and age remains contested: the same applies to the associated gravel fans in upper Glen Roy. This paper presents the results of systematic mapping and instrumental levelling of these features and new evidence from two previously unrecorded gravel fans in the nearby Allt Chonnal valley. Interpretation of altitudinal and lithofacies data indicates that all the fans (including the one at the mouth of Glen Turret) were deposited in a series of ice-dammed lakes during the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas). The largest gravel fans were deposited in the shallow lake heads of the 260 m, 325 m and 350 m lakes in upper Glen Roy, infilling these areas to the extent that deposition was in part subaerial. The absence of foreset bedding from the deposits is explained by the relatively shallow depth of lake waters, which inhibited development of classic Gilbert-type deltas and encouraged Hjulström-type fans. The previous assumption that gravel deposition into the 325 m and 350 m lakes was relatively limited is shown to be erroneous. The Allt Chonnal gravel fans, deposited into these lakes, have an estimated combined volume of 6,000,000 m³ deposited in about 200 years. Significant gravel deposition into these former lakes continued at least until glaciers started to retreat in Glen Roy. When glacier retreat began, gravel deposition was reduced by over 85%. This research also concludes that the glacier which deposited the Turret fan emanated from Glen Gloy, supplied not only by ice from the south but also from ice that spilled into Glen Gloy from the adjacent Great Glen. The Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS) ice cap mapped in the Monadhliath Mountains was connected to the west Highland ice cap, which at the time filled the Great Glen. Regional equilibrium line altitude (ELA) estimates, based solely on the Monadhliath LLS ice cap evidence, may therefore be altitudinally too high.     

Stratigraphy of a Lateglacial lake basin sediment sequence at Turret Bank,upper Glen Roy,Lochaber: implications for the age of the Turret Fan

New lithostratigraphical, pollen-stratigraphical and tephrostratigraphical data are presented for a sediment sequence at Turret Bank, a site that lies close to the confluence of the River Turret with the River Roy in Lochaber, the western Scottish Highlands. The site is also adjacent to the inner margin of a major gravel fan, the Glen Turret Fan, the age of which has been debated and has a crucial bearing on the overall sequence of events in Glen Roy, especially concerning the maximum limit of Loch Lomond Readvance (Younger Dryas) ice. Several lines of evidence point to the sediment sequence at Turret Bank having been wholly deposited during the Loch Lomond Stadial-early Holocene transition: (i) the pollen sequence is typical for this transitional period; (ii) varved deposits preserved in the sequence bear a strong resemblance to mid-Stadial varves in a regional master varve scheme for Glen Roy and vicinity (the Lochaber Master Varve Chronology); and (iii) an early Holocene tephra – the Askja-S Tephra – is preserved within the sequence. Some limitations with the new data are considered, but it is concluded that the coherent integration of lithostratigraphic, geomorphological, pollen-stratigraphical and tephrostratigraphical data point to the likelihood that Loch Lomond Readvance ice extended to the inner margin of the Glen Turret Fan, and that the fan was probably constructed by glacial meltwaters at this time.     

Geomorphology and sedimentology of the Caol Lairig valley,Scottish Highlands: evidence for local glacier margin advance and retreat during the Loch Lomond Stadial

A sedimentological investigation of new sections of Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS) age deposits is presented from Caol Lairig valley, located adjacent to Glen Roy, Lochaber, Scottish Highlands. The ice lobes in Caol Lairig and Glen Roy blocked local fluvial drainage systems forming lakes that cut shorelines, the ‘Parallel Roads of Glen Roy’ (Agassiz, 1840; Jamieson, 1863, 1892). Within Caol Lairig sediment sequences of proximal, distal and deltaic glaciolacustrine sediments and a subglacial till are reported. The till was deposited during ice advance into the valley and the different glaciolacustrine facies formed in the gap between the head of Caol Lairig and the receding ice margin. When the sediments are related to the shoreline and glacial geomorphological evidence, phases of ice advance and ice retreat and the concomitant changes in lake levels are identified. Initially ice retreat in Glen Roy and Caol Lairig was synchronous but after the fall to 325 m the ice in Glen Roy retreated more quickly than in Caol Lairig. Differences in the ice thickness and the lake water depth in Glen Roy and Caol Lairig may have lead to preferential calving of the Glen Roy ice margin hastening ice retreat.     

The varve-related ice-dammed lake events in Glen Roy and vicinity: a new interpretation

This paper presents a new interpretation of the sequence of events in Glen Roy and vicinity during the Loch Lomond Stadial that can be inferred from a detailed varve record constructed by Palmer et al. (2010). 300 years of Younger Dryas glacier advance in the Scottish Highlands are recorded by very thin varves formed in an ice-dammed lake up to 35 km long. At a varve site now occupied by Loch Laggan the lake stood permanently at 260 m, but in Glen Roy varves were also laid down in a lake at 325 m and, later, 350 m caused by glacier advance. Initial ice retreat recorded by a gradual increase in varve thickness was soon followed by much thicker varves. The varve sequences are interrupted by a sand bed caused by sudden drainage of the 350 m lake. The major varves of the Glen Roy sequence show that storminess was still increasing in intensity at least 160 years after glacier retreat had begun. At the Loch Laggan site 15 cm of deformed sediments register an earthquake that produced 3 m faulted uplift of all three Glen Roy shorelines, a response to the abrupt removal of 5 km³ of water when the 260 m lake was catastrophically drained by jökulhlaup. The deformed sediments are immediately followed by varves deposited in a local lake, ice-dammed lake sedimentation now having ceased, having lasted more than 460 years.     

Scottish early Holocene vegetation dynamics based on pollen and tephra records from Inverlair and Loch Etteridge,Inverness-shire

This paper presents the results of an investigation of early Holocene cryptotephra layers recovered from sediments in two kettle-hole basins at Inverlair (Glen Spean) and Loch Etteridge (Glen Fernisdale). Electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) of shards from two cryptotephra layers revealed that the uppermost layer in both sequences has a composition similar to the An Druim tephra, first reported from a site in Northern Scotland. We present evidence that distinguishes the An Druim from the chemically very similar early Holocene Ashik tephra. The lowermost layer at Inverlair matches the composition of the Askja-S tephra found in the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. This is the first published record of the Askja-S tephra from mainland Scotland. As at other sites, the Askja-S seems to mark a short-lived climatic deterioration, most likely the Pre-Boreal Oscillation: at Inverlair it occurs just above an oscillation represented by a reduction in LOI values and in the abundance of Betula pollen, and by a peak in Juniperus pollen. The lowermost layer at Loch Etteridge has a Katla-type chemistry and extends through the upper part of the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas/GS-1) Stadial to the Stadial/Holocene transition; it may represent a composite layer which merges the Vedde and Abernethy tephras. One of the key conclusions is that the glacial-melt deposits in the vicinity of Inverlair (kames and kame terraces) were ice-free by c. 10.83 ka (the age of the Askja-S), providing a limiting age on the disappearance of LLR ice in Glen Spean.     

The geomorphological impact of Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial plateau icefields in the central Lake District,northwest England

Detailed geomorphological mapping has revealed evidence for the development of plateau icefields in the central fells of the English Lake District during the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial (ca. 12.9–11.5 ka). The largest plateau icefield system, which covered an area of approximately 55 km² (including outlet glaciers), was centred on High Raise. To the west, smaller plateau icefields developed on Grey Knotts/Brandreth and Dale Head, covering areas of 7 km² and 3 km² respectively. The geomorphological impact of these plateau icefields appears to have been minimal on the summits, where the survival of blockfields and other frost‐weathered debris (mostly peat‐covered) implies the existence of at least patches of protective, cold‐based ice. Ice‐moulded bedrock at some plateau edges, however, documents a transition to wet‐based, erosive conditions. Prominent moraine systems were produced by outlet glaciers, which descended into the surrounding valleys where their margins became sediment traps for supraglacial debris and inwash. In some valleys, ice‐marginal moraines record successive positions of outlet glaciers, which actively backwasted towards their plateau source. This interpretation differs from that of previous workers, who assumed an alpine style of glaciation, with reconstructed glaciers emanating from corries and valley heads. It is likely that plateau icefields were more common at this time in upland Britain than hitherto has been appreciated. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glacial landsystems,retreat dynamics and controls on Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas) glaciation in Britain

Glacial geomorphology relating to the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas) in Britain is used to construct five glacial landsystem models. These landsystems lie on a continuum of increasing ice thickness and decreasing topographic control and typify the principal styles of glaciation during the stadial. The landsystems comprise: the cirque/niche glacier landsystem, the alpine icefield landsystem, the lowland piedmont lobe landsystem, the plateau icefield landsystem and the icecap landsystem. Geomorphological features representing the icecap landsystem are present only at the centre of the West Highland Glacier Complex, which was flanked primarily by satellite alpine and plateau icefields. The cirque/niche glacier landsystem was present predominantly in areas that experienced conditions only marginally favourable for glacier development at peripheral sites. Three styles of glacier retreat are recorded by the geomorphology: active, two‐phase and uninterrupted retreat. Of these, active retreat appears to be most widespread within the Loch Lomond Stadial limits. These retreat styles reflect a combination of climatic and topographic conditions, coupled with local factors influencing the preservation of landforms from which retreat dynamics can be inferred. Likewise, the distribution of landsystems was influenced by an interplay between topography and climate, with glacier formation being facilitated in locations where topographical conditions aided in the accumulation of snow. The pattern also supports the existence of previously recognized northward and eastward precipitation gradients across Britain during the stadial.     

The Loch Lomond Readvance on the Isle of Skye,Scotland: Glacier reconstruction and palaeoclimatic implications

Geomorphological mapping of southern Skye indicates evidence for a single readvance of locally-nourished glaciers. These comprised a major icefield that occupied c. 155 km² of the main mountain area, a small icefield c. 10 km² in extent in the Kyleakin hills and ten corrie glaciers with a total area of c. 16 km². The absence of Lateglacial pollen sites, shorelines and periglacial features within the limits of local glaciation implies a Loch Lomond Readvance age for this glacial event. The area-weighted mean equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of the reconstructed Loch Lomond Readvance glaciers (319 m) conforms with a regional eastwards rise in ELAs that indicates dominant westerly airstreams during the Loch Lomond Stadial. An easterly decline in ELAs across the former icefields is interpreted in terms of easterly transfer of snow across ice-sheds by westerly winds, though the altitudes of corrie glacier ELAs suggest that the dominant snow-bearing winds were southerlies. Calculations based on the area-weighted mean ELA for the major icefield (308 m) indicate a stadial mean July sea-level temperature of c. 6 °C. The anomalously low gradients of certain former icefield outlet glaciers are attributed to deformation of subglacial sediment, an effect that may vitiate the assumption of linear ablation/accumulation gradients in the calculation of former ELAs for reconstructed glaciers.     

The Late Quaternary sediment successions of Llangorse Lake,south Wales

The last British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) created a landscape with many sedimentary basins that preserve archives of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic change during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT; ~ 18-8 ka BP). The typical lithostratigraphic succession of these archives is composed of minerogenic/allogenic sediments formed during cold climatic conditions and organic-rich/authigenic sediments during warmer climates. This paper presents a multi-core lithostratigraphy compiled from the extant lake and surrounding basin at Llangorse Lake, south Wales, a basin lying within the southernmost limits of the last BIIS. This lake contains one of the longest continuous terrestrial sediment successions in the UK. Uncertainty previously existed concerning the presence and distribution of sediments at the site related to the Windermere Interstadial (~ 14.7 to ~ 12.9 ka BP) and Loch Lomond Stadial (~ 12.9 to 11.7 ka BP). A new borehole survey demonstrates that LGIT-age sediments are present at the site with nekron mud (gyttja), corresponding to the Lateglacial Interstadial, deposited in the deeper part of the lake waters and that these deposits are equivalent in age to marl deposits found at shallower depths at the margins of the basin. These deposits are associated with warmer conditions experienced during the Windermere Interstadial and Holocene, whilst minerogenic-rich sediments were deposited during the colder climatic conditions of the Dimlington Stadial and the Loch Lomond Stadial with rangefinder radiocarbon dates confirming this attribution. A model of lake level changes shows that drainage of the Dimlington Stadial glacial lake caused the largest fall, but there was also a further, smaller lake level fall at the end of the Windermere Interstadial and/or the start of the Loch Lomond Stadial, before the level rose in the early Holocene. The lithostratigraphic results presented here form the framework for further paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic research at Llangorse Lake.     

Glaciation and deglaciation of the SW Lake District,England: implications of cosmogenic 36Cl exposure dating

Exposure dating using cosmogenic ³⁶Cl demonstrates that the summit plateau of Scafell Pike (978 m) in the SW Lake District escaped erosion by glacier ice during the last glacial maximum (LGM; c. 26–21 kyr) and probably throughout the Devensian Glacial Stage (MIS 5d-2). Exposure ages obtained for ice-moulded bedrock on an adjacent col at 750–765 m confirm over-riding and erosion of bedrock by warm-based glacier ice during the LGM. The contrast between the two sites is interpreted in terms of preservation of tors, frost-shattered outcrops and blockfields on terrain above 840–870 m under cold-based ice. An exposure age of 17.3 ± 1.1 kyr for the col at 750–765 m suggests that substantial downwastage of the last ice sheet had occurred by c. 17 kyr, consistent with deglacial exposure ages obtained for other high-level sites in the British Isles. An exposure age of 12.5 ± 0.8 kyr obtained for a glacially transported rockfall boulder within the limits of later corrie glaciation confirms that the final episode of local glaciation in the Lake District occurred during the Loch Lomond Stade (c. 12.9–11.7 kyr). This research also demonstrated the difficulties of obtaining reliable exposure ages from rhyolite and andesite bedrock that has proved resistant to glacial abrasion.     

The lateglacial lakes of Glens Roy,Spean and vicinity (Lochaber district,Scottish Highlands)

This paper summarises the evidence for glacial ice advance into lower Glen Spean during the Loch Lomond Stadial which involved the blockage of westward-flowing drainage to form a series of ice-dammed lakes, the former surfaces of which are marked by prominent shorelines. Detailed mapping of glacigenic landforms and instrumental levelling of the shorelines reveals a dynamic interplay between the glacier margins and lake formation. Subsequent deglaciation led to lowering of the lake levels, at times by catastrophic drainage beneath the ice (jökulhlaup). The abandoned shorelines have been warped and dislocated in numerous places as a result of glacio-isostatic deformation, faulting and landslip activity. The pattern of retreat of the ice can be deduced from the mapped distributions of retreat moraines and the levelled altitudes of numerous kame and fluvial terrace fragments. The sequence of events outlined in this paper provides important context for understanding the evolution of the landscape of the Glen Roy area during the Loch Lomond Stadial, and a prelude to more recent studies reported in other contributions to this thematic issue.     

A high‐resolution seismic stratigraphy from a Scottish sea loch and its implications for Loch Lomond Stadial deglaciation

A detailed high‐resolution seismic stratigraphy, calibrated by core data and terrestrial geomorphological mapping, has been constructed for Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye. This study has provided a palaeoenvironmental history of the area as well as important corroborative evidence for the stepped deglaciation of the Loch Lomond Stadial ice‐field on Skye. The Ainort Glacier reworked pre‐Loch Lomond glacial deposits terminating in a grounded tidewater ice‐front potentially 800 m beyond the previously extrapolated limit. The first stage of deglaciation was characterised by the formation of De Geer moraines indicative of a period of interrupted retreat. The second phase, by contrast, produced hummocky relief with sporadic linear moraines suggesting periods of uninterrupted retreat with occasional stillstands/readvances. Paraglacial reworking of terrestrial slopes resulted in the deposition of thick, subaqueous, debris flows which graded into fluvioglacial dominated sediments and ultimately modern fjordic deposits. The identification of an initial period of active retreat punctuated by numerous readvances correlates directly with the terrestrial record. However, the offshore stratigraphy suggests that although the second phase was dominated by uninterrupted retreat, occasional stillstands/ readvances did occur. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateglacial ice-cap dynamics in NW Scotland: evidence from the fjords of the Summer Isles region

The seaboard of western Scotland is a classic fjord landscape formed by glaciation over at least the last 0.5 Ma. We examine the glacial geology preserved in the fjords (or sea lochs) of the Summer Isles region of NW Scotland using high-resolution seismic data, multibeam swath bathymetry, seabed sediment cores, digital terrain models, aerial photographs, and field investigations. Detailed analyses include seismic facies and lithofacies interpretations; sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental analyses; and radiocarbon dating of selected microfauna. Our results indicate that the Pleistocene sediments of the Summer Isles region, on- and offshore, can be subdivided into several lithostratigraphic formations on the basis of seismic character, geomorphology and sedimentology. These are: subglacial tills; ice-distal and glacimarine facies; ice-proximal and ice-contact facies; moraine assemblages; and Holocene basin fill. The submarine landscape is also notable for its large-scale mass-movement events – the result of glaciodynamic, paraglacial or seismotectonic processes. Radiocarbon dating of marine shells indicate that deglaciation of this part of NW Scotland was ongoing between 14 and 13 ka BP – during the Lateglacial Interstadial (Greenland Interstadial 1) – consistent with cosmogenic surface-exposure ages from previous studies. A sequence of numerous seafloor moraine ridges charts oscillatory retreat of the last ice sheet from a buoyant calving margin in The Minch to a firmly grounded margin amongst the Summer Isles in the early part of Lateglacial Interstadial (GI-1) (pre-14 ka BP). Subsequent, punctuated, frontal retreat of the ice mass occurred in the following ～1000 years, during which time ice-cap outlet glaciers became topographically confined and restricted to the fjords. A late-stage readvance of glaciers into the inner fjords occurred soon after 13 ka BP, which calls into question the accepted limits of ice extent during the Younger Dryas Stadial (Greenland Stadial 1). We examine the wider implications of our chronostratigraphic model, discussing the implications for British Ice Sheet deglaciation, Lateglacial climate change, and the style and rates of fjord sedimentation.     

A reinterpretation of the Lateglacial environmental history of the Isle of Skye,Inner Hebrides,Scotland

This paper presents a major revision of the Late Devensian Lateglacial environmental history of the Isle of Skye, Scotland, based upon a combination of geomorphological, biostratigraphical and radiocarbon evidence. The distribution of glacial and periglacial landforms, and of raised shorelines, suggests that there was only one extensive readvance of local glaciers in southern Skye following the wastage of the Late Devensian ice sheet. Pollen-stratigraphic evidence from 10 sites inside and 4 sites outside the mapped ice limits indicates that this readvance occurred during the Loch Lomond Stadial. At that time over 180km² of the uplands of south-central Skye were covered by glacier ice, a much more extensive glaciation than previously envisaged. Palynological evidence from four Lateglacial profiles implies that degree of exposure to strong westerly winds was the principal factor determing vegetational contrasts on the island, and that regional differences in vegetational type were less pronounced than has hitherto been suggested. The glacial and palaeobotanical reconstructions reported here are more compatible with Lateglacial data from the Scottish mainland and Hebridean islands than were the previously-published accounts for the Isle of Skye.     

The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy,Scotland: geoconservation history and challenges

Glen Roy is a classic geosite for ice-dammed lake shorelines, the Parallel Roads, and associated features formed during the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stade (12.9–11.7 ka). The area played a key part in the development of the glacial theory in the early 19th century and continues today to have outstanding scientific value for understanding the processes and timing of events at the end of the last glaciation. Glen Roy has also been long-appreciated as an awe-inspiring visitor attraction, and is now a flagship site for geotourism within Lochaber Geopark. Statutory geoconservation in Glen Roy, beginning in the second half of the 20th century, was founded on the exceptional scientific value of the area. The history and practice of geoconservation in Glen Roy illustrate the contested values of geoheritage and the evolving approaches adopted. Important lessons include the need for open dialogue and partnership working among the local community, land owners and managers, the statutory conservation agency (Scottish Natural Heritage), Lochaber Geopark and the scientific community.     

Glacial activity and paraglacial landsliding in the Devensian Lateglacial: evidence from Craig Cerrig-gleisiad and Fan Dringarth,Fforest Fawr (Brecon Beacons), South Wales

The tongue-shaped mass of debris and associated ridges on the cirque floor below Craig Cerrig-gleisiad, Brecon Beacons National Park is important and controversial because it has been attributed to more than one glacier advance during the Late Devensian. A new origin is proposed involving landslide development from the collapse of part of the western headwall followed by a single phase of glacier development in the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas), which reworked the landslide sediments. Evidence for this landslide, which provides useful criteria for differentiating moraines formed by small glaciers from landslides, lies in tension cracks, backward-tilted blocks and bedrock joints dipping out of the western headwall, together with lateral levées, upstanding termini and angular clasts with only occasional, indistinct striae on the tongue-shaped mass, which is interpreted as a flowslide. Glacier reworking of debris in the upper part of the Cwm Cerrig-gleisiad landslide is indicated by subparallel ridges rising to 20 m above the cirque floor containing abraded clasts (16-32% striated). This interpretation is supported by a comparison with the morphological and sedimentary characteristics of a neighbouring landslide at Fan Dringarth, where no glacier developed in the Loch Lomond Stadial. The existence of paraglacial landsliding has significant palaeoenvironmental implications leading to: (1) erroneously large estimates of equilibrium line depression ($Δ$ELA) in the Loch Lomond Stadial; (2) consequent underestimates of summer palaeotemperatures and/or overestimates of the contribution of wind-drifted snow to glacier accumulation; and (3) larger moraines than usual and overestimation of the efficacy of glacial erosion because of antecedent processes.     

Single-grain OSL dating of glaciofluvial quartz constrains Reid glaciation in NW Canada to MIS 6

Improved chronological control on the penultimate advance of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet in northwest Canada (the Reid glaciation) is required for a better understanding of late Quaternary palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental change in eastern Beringia. However, reliable dating of glaciation events beyond the last glacial maximum is commonly hindered by a lack of directly dateable material. In this study we (i) provide the first combined minimum and maximum age constraint on the Reid glaciation at Ash Bend, its reference locale in the Stewart River valley, northwestern Canadian Cordillera, using single-grain optically stimulated luminescence dating of quartz; and (ii) compare the timing of the Reid glaciation with other penultimate ice sheet advances in the region with the aim of establishing improved glacial reconstructions in eastern Beringia. We obtain ages of 158 ± 18 ka and 132 ± 18 ka for glaciofluvial sands overlying and underlying the Reid till, respectively. These ages indicate that the Reid advance, at its reference locale, occurred during MIS 6. This precludes an earlier MIS 8 age, and suggests that the Reid advance may have been synchronous with the Delta glaciation of central Alaska, and is likely correlative with the Mirror Creek glaciation in southern Yukon.     

Sedimentation history of the northern North Sea Margin during the last 150 ka

The Norwegian Channel Ice Stream (NCIS) is one the defining features of the Fennoscandian icesheet. Still little is known of the detailed dynamics of this ice stream in relation to regional changes in ice cover, paleoceanographic and climatic changes. Sedimentological data from core MD99-2283 in combination with seismic data allow a detailed chronological reconstruction of the outbuilding of the margin and the ice extent in southern Scandinavia through the last 150 ka. An integrated stratigraphy of the margin is presented and compared to the glacial history. Changes in the regional ice cover are reflected in the accumulation rates, the clay mineralogy, the coarse chalk fraction and the number of IRD >2 mm in core MD99-2283, while the sedimentation on the North Sea Fan as derived from seismic data provides direct evidence for the glacial activity at the shelf edge. Tentative evidence was found for two Early Weichselian glacial advances in southern Scandinavia and possibly Scotland at around 110 and 80 ka BP. From 42 cal ka BP the ice cover expanded in southern Fennoscandia and led to increased deposition on the margin and the occurrence of local melt water outbursts. Significantly increased accumulation rates, coarse chalk, local meltwater output and smectite occur during the ice expansion in the North Sea from around 34 cal ka BP. The main outbuilding phase of the NSF during the last glacial cycle occurred after 30 cal ka BP. From around 24 cal ka BP the NCIS became highly active and advanced at least three times prior to the final retreat from the shelf edge around 19.0 cal ka BP.     

Ice-rafted detritus evidence from 40Ar/39Ar ages of individual hornblende grains for evolution of the eastern margin of the Laurentide ice sheet since 43 14C ky

During the last glacial interval, the North Atlantic ice sheets expanded and contracted in approximate synchronicity with orbitally forced global climate change. Variation in ice rafted detritus content in North Atlantic marine sediment cores record the waxing and waning of glaciers, as well as the abrupt temperature changes at millennial time scales. The background variations of ice rafting are punctuated by Heinrich layers, which appear to record the catastrophic collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet through the Hudson Strait. The objective of this paper is to document the evolution of glaciation on Laurentia during the last 43 ¹⁴C kyr. We present a provenance study based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates of individual hornblende grains from 57 samples taken at 2 cm spacing between 4 and 134 cm from core V23-14 (43.4°N, 45.25°W, 3177 m). Sedimentation rates outside of the Heinrich layers are very low in this core, but the Heinrich layers are easily identified. Laurentide glaciation did not extend into the ocean south of 55°N until about 26 ¹⁴C kyr, and retreated to the coastline or beyond by 14 ¹⁴C kyr. Documenting the history of this major ice sheet has significant implications for understanding ice rafting sources in more distal locations where mixing among different ice sheets is likely.     

Was the Younger Dryas (Loch Lomond Stadial) icefield on Rannoch Moor,western Scotland,deglaciated as early as c.12.5 cal ka BP?

The concept that Rannoch Moor, the centre of the Younger Dryas (YD), West Highland Icefield, was deglaciated as early as 12.5 cal ka BP is discussed in the light of radiocarbon dates and varve sequences from outlet glaciers of this icefield, and climate change during the YD. The maximum positions of three YD glaciers were reached after 11.6–11.8 cal ka BP (Lomond), and after 11.8–11.9 cal ka BP (Spean and Treig) indicating that ice remained on Rannoch Moor until long after c.12.5 cal ka BP, and possibly until the YD/Holocene transition at c.11.7 cal ka BP. Further, the Spean glacier dammed a proglacial lake in Lochaber for at least 495 varve years over a period that included the deposition of the Vedde Ash (c.12.1 cal ka BP) and a late YD ash layer (c. 11.7–11.2 cal ka BP), a thesis at variance with supposed early YD deglaciation. Recent examination of this issue using ¹⁰Be exposure age determinations from Rannoch Moor is equivocal. In view of the presence of hard water algae at the sampling site on Rannoch Moor it is recommended that the ‘early’ ¹⁴C dates from Rannoch Moor need to be further reassessed using chronological constraints provided by dated microtephra, and a collaborative radiocarbon dating programme.