A Pleistocene succession from beneath Chelford Sands at Oakwood Quarry,Chelford, Cheshire

A thin sequence of in situ fossiliferous gravels and silts overlain by a glacigenic bed is described from a temporary exposure in a working silica sand quarry. The sequence directly overlies unweathered Mercia Mudstone. Locally the bedrock surface forms a shallow palaeovalley some 15 m deep and almost 1 km wide. The sequence in question lies close to the valley axis. The silts, pollen, plant macrofossils, Mollusca, Coleoptera, and Ostracoda assemblages each suggest a similar environment of sedimentation: a shallow pool within a treeless open landscape. Much of the bedrock within the working quarry appears to be draped by the Oakwood till and this unit is co-extensive with the glacigenic sediments over the silts and gravels. In parts at least, the till has been subject to redeposition and its upper surface has scattered ventifacts. Above this wind-deflation horizon lies the Chelford Sands Formation, in the middle of which is the Chelford Interstadial stratotype, the Farm Wood member. The biota preserved in the gravels and silts suggest a stadial prior to the Early Devensian Chelford Interstadial. This is the first unambiguous stratigraphic evidence from Cheshire of a glacial event antedating the Chelford Interstadial.     

Allt Odhar and Dalcharn: Two pre-Late Devensian/Late Weichselian sites in northern Scotland

The lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of two sites (Allt Odhar and Dalcharn) in north-central Scotland are described, where pollen spectra of temperate affinity have been obtained from organic deposits that underlie till. The pollen record from Allt Odhar, in association with evidence from plant macrofossils and Coleoptera, shows the expansion of birch woodland and its eventual replacement by open grassland under a climatic regime slightly cooler than that prevailing in the northern highlands of Scotland at the present day. The organic sediments accumulated during an Early Devensian interstadial episode, which has been dated by the uranium series disequilibrium method to ca. 106 ka BP. Evidence for one and possibly two Devensian glaciations may be preserved at the site. The pollen record from Dalcharn, by contrast, reflects the middle and later stages of an interglacial cycle with the transition from pine forest to grassland. The overlying till sequence contains evidence of at least two separate glacial episodes. The age of the warm stage cannot be established precisely on present evidence, but there are indications that it may predate the last (Ipswichian) interglacial. These are the first sites from the mainland of Scotland to provide evidence of wooded conditions during interstadial and interglacial episodes of the Middle/Late Pleistocene.     

A high‐resolution record of mire development and climatic change spanning the Late‐glacial–Holocene boundary at Church Moss,Davenham (Cheshire,England)

Excavations of deposits filling a closed basin within glacial drift at Church Moss, Davenham, near Northwich (Cheshire, England) revealed a sequence of Late‐glacial and Early Holocene sediments. Analyses of pollen and plant and invertebrate macrofossils were undertaken, together with loss‐on‐ignition analyses and a programme of AMS radiocarbon dating, to provide a record of changing biostratigraphy and climatic and ecological regimes. The infilling of features identified as frost‐cracks in the till flooring the basin gave remains that reflected conditions of extreme cold towards the end of the Devensian. The pollen record from a 3.5 m sequence of peat towards the deepest part of the basin, supported by radiocarbon dates, shows that organic deposition was initiated during the Late‐glacial Interstadial and continued into the early part of the Holocene. There was some evidence for a cool episode during the interstadial, with amelioration prior to the rapid onset of the tundra conditions of the Loch Lomond Stadial. Following the stadial, amelioration was rapid. There was evidence from both central and marginal sequences for a mosaic of fen dominated by sedges and often also mosses, with short‐lived small pools through much of the succession. Change to terrestrial conditions proceeded intermittently, probably as a result of subsidence caused by solution of underlying salt‐bearing strata. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A late Holocene record of arid events from the Cuzco region,Peru

The small recently infilled lake basin of Marcacocha (13°13′S, 72°12′W, 3355 m) in the Cuzco region of Peru has a morphology and location that renders it extremely sensitive to environmental change. A record of vegetation, human impact and climatic change during the past 4200 yr has been obtained from a highly organic core taken from the centre of the basin. Sustained arid episodes that affected the Peruvian Andes may be detectable using the proxy indicator of sedge (Cyperaceae) pollen abundances. As the lake‐level was lowered during sustained drier conditions, the local catchment was colonised by Cyperaceae, whereas during lake floods, they retreated or were submerged and pollen production was correspondingly reduced. Drier episodes during prehistoric times occurred around 900 bc , 500 bc , ad 100 and ad 550, with a longer dry episode occurring from ad 900 to 1800. Evidence from the independently derived Quelccaya ice‐core record and the archaeological chronology for the Cuzco region appears to support the climatic inferences derived from the sedge data. Many of these aridity episodes appear to correspond with important cultural changes in the Cuzco region and elsewhere in the Central Andes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glaciomarine deposition around the Irish Sea basin: some problems and solutions

Reconstructing the depositional processes and setting (marine or terrestrial depositional environment) of late Devensian age glacigenic sediments around the Irish Sea basin (ISB) is critical for developing an all‐embracing and consistent glacial model that can account for all observed field evidence. Identifying episodes of marine and terrestrial glacial deposition from field data is considered the first step in achieving this goal. Criteria for distinguishing marine and terrestrial glacial environments in the ISB include the geomorphology, sedimentology and faunal content (biofacies) of the associated deposits. Exposures of glacigenic sediments around the ISB are very diverse in terms of their morphosedimentary characteristics and associated biofacies, and thus inferred depositional processes and setting. Possible reasons for the diverse geological record include the differing geometry of eastern and western ISB coasts, time‐transgressive ice retreat, and differential land rebound effects as a result of forebulge collapse and neotectonics. Poor geochronometric control on ice sheet events has not helped the correlation of ISB events with glacial and climatic events elsewhere. Future investigations of glacial sites around the ISB should use an integrated methodological approach involving a range of geomorphological, sedimentary and biofacies data, and dating control where possible. This will help in developing a more precise and holistic late Devensian glacial model that is constrained rigorously by field geological evidence. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Middle Devensian (Weichselian) coleopteran assemblages from Earith,Cambridgeshire (UK) and their bearing on the interpretation of ‘Full glacial’ floras and faunas

Macroscopic plant remains from middle Devensian organic lenses, exposed in a gravel pit near Earith in the valley of the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire, were the object of an extensive study by Frances Bell in the late 1960s, which has been much referred to in the subsequent literature. The floras from each sampling site have been taken to be characteristic of Full‐glacial conditions in general. Coleopteran assemblages taken at the same time from exactly the same sampling sites show that at least two periods of markedly different climatic regimes were involved. The first of these (? the older) was characterised by a cold and continental climate with mean July temperatures at or below 10d°C and mean January/February temperatures about −23°C. The second climatic regime was characterised by warm summers with mean July temperatures about 16°C and mean January/February temperatures close to −5°C. In spite of this temperate climate, pollen analysis shows that no trees grew in Britain at that time. This treeless but temperate episode in the middle of the Devensian (Weichselian) is discussed in the context of coleopteran assemblages from other sites in southern England that probably date from the same period. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anomalous arboreal pollen assemblages in Late Devensian and Early Flandrian deposits at Creich Castle, Fife, Scotland

Pollen analysis of a radiocarbon-dated core from a shallow basin in volcanic hills in eastern Scotland revealed the existence of Late Devensian and Flandrian deposits. Much of the vegetation history of the Flandrian proved to be missing due to a hiatus in the profile. The Late Devensian pollen record included anomalous arboreal taxa of three possible origins: contamination, long-distance wind transport and reworking of interstadial material. Because of lacking information on Late Devensian climates and the location of thermophilous arboreal refugia in Europe a re-examination of supposedly contaminated British Late Devensian pollen records might well be rewarding.     

Multivariate statistical estimates of Holocene vegetation and climate change,forest-tundra transition zone,NWT, Canada

Newly derived fossil pollen data were obtained from four sites along a transect from the boreal forest limit into tundra in the eastern Northwest Territories. Multivariate statistical analyses were employed to interpret the pollen assemblages. Transfer functions were constructed between the pollen data and climatic data, and paleoclimatic estimates were derived. The objective nature of the reconstructions provides an independent verification of the general outlines of the chronology of tree-line movements during the mid- and late-Holocene as established in previous paleosol and pollen studies. Boreal forest extended to approximately 62°N, associated with mean July temperatures 1 to 3°C above modern means, from at least 5500 to 3700 yr B.P. Although a major episode of southward displacement of tree line at about 3700 yr B.P. is recorded, later events are not clearly represented. Considerations of the statistics, the time scales, and the nature of the pollen rain suggest only conservative interpretations of the results are possible. It is suggested that the pollen sites may have been sensitive recorders of regional vegetation change only when they were near the ecotone, corresponding to a climatic threshold.     

Multiproxy Devensian Late‐glacial and Holocene environmental records at an Atlantic coastal site in Shetland

Marine erosion at Clettnadal, West Burra island off the west coast of Shetland, caused the drainage of a small water body at Clettnadal, exposing deposits of Late Devensian and Holocene age. Pollen, diatom and invertebrate analyses have provided variable records of environmental change during stratigraphical event GI‐1. Event GS‐1 is revealed by the non‐pollen evidence, especially by Coleoptera, by sediment stratigraphy, and by radiocarbon dating. In contrast, the pollen evidence indicates that an arctic tundra flora, in which dwarf shrubs were prominent, persisted throughout the Late‐glacial. The Holocene brought colonisation by tree birch, but by ca. 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP the taxon had almost disappeared. This contrasts strongly with other Holocene pollen records for Shetland where both Betula and Corylus avellana‐type survived longer—at some sites, for example, until ca. 2900 yr BP. The extreme westerly and exposed coastal situation of Clettnadal appears to be responsible both for a muted Late‐glacial response in the pollen record of terrestrial vegetation and for the early replacement of woodland by a maritime grassland. The results provoke questions concerning biological stability at times of marked climatic change. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluvial system response to Late Devensian (Weichselian) aridity,Baston, Lincolnshire,England

Little is known about the impact of Late Devensian (Weichselian) aridity on lowland British landscapes, largely because they lack the widespread coversand deposits of the adjacent continent. The concentration of large interformational ice‐wedge casts in the upper part of many Devensian fluvial sequences suggests that fluvial activity may have decreased considerably during this time. The development of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating enables this period of ice‐wedge cast formation to be constrained for the first time in eastern England, where a marked horizon of ice‐wedge casts is found between two distinctive dateable facies associations. Contrasts between this horizon and adjacent sediments show clear changes in environment and fluvial system behaviour in response to changing water supply, in line with palaeontological evidence. In addition to providing chronological control on the period of ice‐wedge formation, the study shows good agreement of the radiocarbon and OSL dating techniques during the Middle and Late Devensian, with direct comparison of these techniques beyond 15 000 yr for the first time in Britain. It is suggested that aridity during the Late Devensian forced a significant decrease in fluvial activity compared with preceding and following periods, initiating a system with low peak flows and widespread permafrost development. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeontology and taphonomy of Late Quaternary fossil assemblages at Somersham,Cambridgeshire, England,and the problem of reworking

Assemblages of foraminifers, ostracods and molluscs from temperate Ipswichian Stage (last temperate stage) sediments and overlying cold Devensian Stage (last cold stage) sediments at Somersham in the southern Fenland of Cambridgeshire have been analysed. The Ipswichian sediments contain faunas consistent with temperate brackish water conditions under tidal influence. The Devensian assemblages were recovered from a series of sands and gravels laterally accreting in a channel cutting into Ipswichian sediments. In contrast to the Ipswichian faunas, the faunas of particular Devensian samples show a complex mixture of temperate freshwater, brackish and marine taxa. The molluscs are mainly freshwater, with few land snails; they occur together with foraminifers and ostracods. Freshwater, brackish water and marine ostracods are present with foraminifers. A sample of Devensian fine laminated sediment in the channel was analysed for pollen; only abundant pre-Quaternary spores were present, with abundant foraminifers in the same sample. The taphonomy of the assemblages and the difficulties of their interpretation in environmental terms are discussed. The importance of taphonomy in assessing environments, climate, range of taxa and dating is stressed.     

Upper Pleistocene stratigraphy at the Medininkai site, eastern Lithuania: a continuous record of the Eemian-Weichselian sequence

Eemian—Weichselian sequences, located outside the maximum limit of the Late Weichselian ice sheet, provide excellent opportunities for the discovery of continuous sedimentary records encompassing the whole Last Interglacial/Glacial cycle. Such a sequence is recorded in a borehole (117P) through the succession in a small kettlehole lake located at Medininkai, eastern Lithuania. The succession consists of peat, gyttja and silt deposited on top of a Saalian till. Pollen and plant macrofossil analysis, lithological analysis, U/Th dating and mineral magnetic measurements on the sediments have allowed 19 lithostratigraphic units and 16 local pollen assemblage zones (LPAZ) to be identified. The palaeocarpological record reveals a clear transition from the Saalian Glacial to the Weichselian stadial and interstadial phases. The mineral magnetic parameters suggest a good correlation between the concentration of magnetic minerals and stadial and interstadial periods. The Merkine (Eemian) Interglacial and two Early Weichselian Interstadials, Jonionys 1 (Brörup) and Jonionys 2 (Odderade), separated by cryomers, are identified. Intervals interpreted as analogous to the Middle Weichselian Denekamp and Hengelo interstadials are also recognized on the basis of pollen assemblages. The results show alternating periglacial and interstadial palaeoenvironments in Lithuania during the Early and Middle Weichselian and are of importance for Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Baltic area as a whole.     

A critical evaluation of pollen-stratigraphic investigations of pre-Late Devensian sites in Scotland

This paper reviews pollen-stratigraphic evidence from proposed interglacial and pre-Late Devensian interstadial sites in Scotland. The paper has two major parts. In the first the stratigraphic details of each of the sites are summarised and discussed. The sites are classified as ‘interglacial’ or ‘interstadial’ according to the interpretations adopted by recent authors, though as discussed in later sections such distinction is problematic and somewhat arbitrary.In the second part general problems of interpretation are discussed in the light of the stratigraphic details. Problems of dating and correlation are severe since most of the sediments lie close to or beyond the limit of conventional radiocarbon dating. Thus the normal approach has been to use pollen-stratigraphic comparisons with type-sites in southern or eastern England. This practice is considered questionable. Problems of assessing the provenance of pollens and spores are perhaps even more important, and at some sites are so severe as to render pollen assemblages of limited value. The problems discussed are: (a) secondary reworking of pollen; (b) long-distance wind transport of nonregional pollen; (c) pollen deterioration and (d) low pollen concentrations.Many of the problems discussed are of general significance being applicable to late Quaternary pollen diagrams from other regions. In the concluding section of the paper certain procedures are proposed that may permit a clearer assessment of potential problems of taphonomy in pollen stratigraphy.     

Multistage metamorphism and deformation in high‐pressure metabasites of the northern Adula Nappe Complex (Central Alps,Switzerland)

Metabasites from the northern Adula Nappe Complex (ANC) display a complex microstructural evolution recording episodes of deformation and metamorphic re‐equilibration that were obliterated in the surrounding phengite‐bearing schists. Pre‐D1 and D1 deformation episodes are preserved as mineral inclusions within garnet cores of some amphibole‐bearing eclogites and record high‐temperature greenschist‐/amphibolite‐facies conditions. D2 produced an eclogite‐facies foliation which developed at 580 ± 70°C and 19 ± 3 kbar. D3 was a composite deformation episode which can be divided into three sub‐episodes D3m, D3a and D3b which occurred as the metamorphism evolved from post‐eclogitic high‐pressure and low‐temperature conditions through to amphibolite‐facies conditions at 590 ± 30°C and 11.7 ± 1.3 kbar. The D3 deformation episode was responsible for the development of the S3 regional‐scale foliation in the surrounding schists, whilst D4 caused the development of an S4 greenschist foliation. The composite nature of the D3 episode indicates that rocks of the northern ANC experienced a protracted post‐eclogitic structural reworking and that the current structure of this part of the Alps is a late‐Alpine feature. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glacigenic clast fabrics: genetic fingerprint or wishful thinking?

The interpretation of glacigenic diamictons is a subjective process, for which quantitative support is frequently sought from parameters such as clast shape and fabric. It has been widely suggested that different glacigenic diamicton facies possess distinct clast‐fabric signatures. This paper examines this concept using a data set of 111 clast fabrics, and a synthesis of published results. Eigenvalues are calculated and compared for a variety sedimentary facies. It is concluded that clast fabric alone is not able to discriminate between different glacigenic facies, and it is argued that clast fabric offers little quantitative support in the interpretation of glacigenic sediments. It is suggested, therefore, that although clast fabric may continue to have a role as an indicator of relative strain at specific sites, its use in the discrimination of glacigenic facies is limited. Consequently, we should be much more selective in undertaking such analyses in the future. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

U‐series dating of the Late Pleistocene mammalian fauna from Wood Quarry (Steetley), Nottinghamshire,UK

We present the U‐series dating of bones from Wood Quarry (‘Steetley Quarry Cave’) using the diffusion–adsorption model to account for uranium uptake. The results give a weighted mean date of 66.8 ± 3.0 kyr, placing this assemblage within or just before Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 4. The fauna is thought to correlate with the Banwell Bone Cave mammal assemblage‐zone of the Early Devensian in Britain. Our results support the idea that this assemblage‐zone immediately precedes the assemblage represented nearby at Pin Hole in Creswell Crags which is contemporary with the Mid‐Devensian and correlates with MIS 3. Our dates, and dates for the Banwell Bone Cave mammal assemblage‐zone from Stump Cross Cavern and evidence from other sites may indicate a longevity for this fauna. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The glacial and interstadial sediments at the Burn of Benholm,Kincardineshire: evidence for onshore pre‐Devensian ice movement in northeast Scotland

Pebbly clays and diamictons containing marine shell fragments and peat lenses exposed beneath subglacially deposited Late Devensian till at the Burn of Benholm provide new insights into the glacial history of Quaternary sequences in eastern Scotland. The peat yielded pollen of interstadial affinity (including Bruckenthalia spiculifolia) and non‐finite radiocarbon dates. Comparisons with other pre‐Late Devensian pollen records in northern Scotland suggest that the peat lenses are remnants of an Early Devensian interstadial deposit, of Oxygen Isotope Substage 5c or 5a age. Reworked faunal assemblages in the shelly sediments include Quaternary marine molluscs of low boreal aspect, as well as Mesozoic and Palaeozoic microfossils. Amino acid ratios from fragments of Arctica islandica suggest that the shells are of Oxygen Isotope Stage 9 age or older. The fabric and composition of the shelly sediments are consistent with their emplacement as deformation till during the onshore movement of glacially transported rafts of marine sediment. Folded and sheared contacts between the shelly deposits, peat lenses and the overlying Late Devensian till indicate that the fossiliferous sediments were glacitectonised during the main Late Devensian glaciation, when ice moved from Strathmore and overrode the site from the southwest. British Geological Survey. © NERC 2000.     

Decreasing intensity of the last glacial stadials in low latitude terrestrial East Asia inferred by a new observation of pollen records in central Taiwan

The cold intensity of the last glacial stadials corresponding to marine isotope stage (MIS) 5d (or 5b), MIS 4 and MIS 2 in terrestrial East Asia monsoon area is not discussed much due to the paucity of long continuous pollen records. A palynological study of drilling cores from three closely-linked intramontane basins (Toushe, Sun-moon Lake and Yuchi) in central Taiwan provides a history of shifting altitudinal vegetation zones in surrounding mountains during late Quaternary climate changes. By integrating these records, we found that the alpine conifer forest approached its lowest altitude, about 614 m, during the earliest stadial (≒MIS 5d or 5b), and 745 m during the early stadial (≒MIS 4) based on records of Yuchi Basin and Sun-moon Lake. In addition, the pollen records of Toushe Basin and Sun-moon Lake show more temperate conditions for the late stadial (≒MIS 2) than the early stadial (≒MIS 4). This leads to an interpretation of a decreasing intensity of stadials during the last glaciation, which might follow the regional insolation amplitude. Such a decreasing trend in coldness during the last glacial stadials does not exist in the record for the South China Sea which reflects a different sensitivity and response to climatic forcings between terrestrial and marine.