The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet
All across the seabed offshore there is a clear record of the ice disappearing and the sea flooding in between 19,000 – 16,000 yrs ago. This is shown by the transition from subglacial sediments to glaciomarine sediments Eventually fully marine conditions were re-established offshore and throughout the Holocene (the last 10,000ys) our coastline began to […]
The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet (North Sea Lobe)
Offshore from County Durham and Northumberland the imprint of the final phase of glaciation can be seen on the seafloor. This is often referred to as the ‘North Sea Lobe’ and was fed by Scottish ice from the Firth of Forth Ice Stream. There are streamlined bedforms (drumlins and MSGL) as well as meltwater channels […]
The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet (seafloor)
Offshore from County Durham and Northumberland the imprint of the final phase of glaciation can be seen on the seafloor. This is often referred to as the ‘North Sea Lobe’ and was fed by Scottish ice from the Firth of Forth Ice Stream. There are streamlined bedforms (drumlins and MSGL) as well as meltwater channels […]
The last glacial cycle: The Devensian – sediment record
Along the Durham coast glacial sediments record multiple events as the ice passed over the coast and then retreated At Seaham Glaciofluvial sediments: record meltwater flowing away from the ice mainly during deglaciation ~ 19,000yrs BP Glaciolacustrine sediments: record the damming of meltwater and lake formation with water trapped between the ice and high ground […]
The last glacial cycle: The Devensian at Seaham
Along the Durham coast glacial sediments record multiple events as the ice passed over the coast and then retreated At Seaham Two subglacial tills: sediments deposited under the ice as it interacted with the landscape bel Lower till (dark brown) at Seaham interacting with Permian Magnesian Limestone bedrock (yellow) Lower till at Seaham overlying […]
The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet – sediments at Seaham
All along the coast we see the sediments left by ice (e.g. Whitburn, Seaham, Warren House Gill) At Seaham Two subglacial tills: sediments deposited under the ice as it interacted with the landscape below In between the two till are glacial outwash sediments deposited by meltwater streams into rivers and lakes Erratics: Glacially transported […]
The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet (then and now)
The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet
Ice stream imprints – The Tyne Gap ice stream streamlined the landscape between Carlisle and Newcastle Ice initially flowed from west to east into the North Sea
The Quaternary: The Devensian Ice sheet (MIS2)
Patton et al, 2017 31,000 –15,000yrs BP ago in the UK Ice in County Durham and offshore was fed initially by an ice stream flowing through the Tyne Gap and later by ice flowing south down the coast fed by the Tweed and Firth of Forth Ice Streams. Ice left County Durham ~ 19, 600 […]
The Quaternary period: The last 2.6 million yrs of Earth’s history.
Oscillating warm and cold climate phases which are called Marine Isotope Stages. Our natural climate has been dominated by long, cold ice ages for the last 800,000yrs The last glacial cycle) in the UK is Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2) also known as the Devensian. Ice sheet build-up and oscillation 31,000 –15,000yrs BP. Along […]
