The final bit of the jigsaw puzzle at Seaham that tells us that the ice is disappearing, are the yellow sands and gravels at the top of the cliff.
As the ice melts, it produces melt water. This begins to form streams and rivers and those streams and rivers transport sorted sands and gravels in the form of outwash sediments which often form braided, channelised floodplains.
There is also excellent evidence for that meltwater starting to form lakes. In this region there is a very famous glacial lake called Glacial Lake Wear that formed between the ice as it receded and the high ground to the west. Here at Ryhope, there is compelling evidence for outwash sediments being deposited into deeper water and forming a delta.
360 Degree Interactive Panorama
