The Periglaciation of Great BritainA climate of arctic severity prevailed in Britain throughout much of the last two million years, resulting in the widespread formation of a great range of periglacial landforms and deposits. Many of these features provide key evidence for understanding the evolution of the present landscape and reconstructing former climate. Appreciation of the significance of periglacial deposits and structures is also important in many engineering operations and in understanding the development of present-day soils. This book, first published in 1994, provides a synthesis of theory in periglacial geomorphology and applies this to the study of periglacial phenomena in Great Britain. The first part of the book introduces the chronological and environmental background to periglaciation in Britain. The second and third parts deal respectively with the periglaciation of lowland Britain and upland Britain. The book concludes by considering the implications of periglacial phenomena for environmental reconstruction. |
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accumulation active layer appears areas associated Ballantyne base bedrock boulders Britain British Cairngorms casts Chapter clasts clay climatic cold consistent continuous cover cryoturbation dating debris deposits depressions depth developed downslope effects England environments erosion evidence example exposed extensive Figure flow formation former freezing frost glacial glacier gradient gravels ground head Hills ice sheet ice-wedge casts implies increase indicate interpreted Lake landforms Late Devensian later less limits lobes Loch Lomond Stadial lower maximum mean mountains movement northern observed occur origin patterns periglacial period permafrost phenomena pingos Pleistocene polygons present probably processes rampart range rates reflect regolith relict represent result river rock sand Scotland sediment silt similar slopes soil solifluction sorted southern stages stripes structures suggests surface Table talus temperatures terraces thawing thick tion tors underlying upland upper valley vegetation Wales weathering wedge wide wind zone