This article was written by Dr Jenna Sutherland. All photos and images are credited to Jenna Sutherland. A long history of scientific debate Along the east coast of the UK, spectacular coastal sections expose sediments that were deposited by the last British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) around 21,000 years ago. For many years, Late Devensian […]
Unlocking ice-flow pathways using glacial erratics Read More »
By Dr Sam Roberson, British Geological Survey, Belfast Glaciation of Ireland during the Devensian The island of Ireland has been glaciated many times during the Quaternary period. The last glaciation in Ireland is referred to historically as the ‘Midlandian’, but now, the British-Irish term ‘Devensian’ is more commonly used. During the Devensian, the British-Irish Ice
The Irish Ice Sheet Read More »
The British-Irish Ice Sheet reached its most recent maximum extent around 27,000 years ago. It was drained by many fast-flowing ice streams, and reached the edge of the continental shelf around its northern border. In the south, it terminated near the Vale of York, with a lobe penetrating down the eastern coastline as far as
Last Glacial Maximum Read More »
In this section, we discuss the evidence for the last British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). Throughout the Quaternary (the last 2.6 million years), there have been many ice sheets in Britain. The ice sheet grows during cold periods (stadials) and recedes in warm periods (interstadials) like the one we live in today. The last BIIS began
Introduction to the Glaciation of Britain Read More »
On this page is a list of resources on the BIIS. Most are freely available. The Younger Dryas Glacial Map This map was produced as a collaboration between Bethan Davies and Hannah Bickerdike. It uses the glacial geomorphology and glacier reconstruction compiled by Bickerdike et al. (2016, 2018). We have used these data to produce
Teaching resources on the last British-Irish Ice Sheet Read More »
Parts of this article are modified from Andy Emery’s PhD thesis. What was the latest ice sheet in the North Sea? | How do we know about the latest ice sheet in the North Sea? | How big was the latest ice sheet in the North Sea? | What happened to the latest ice sheet
The Last Ice Sheet in the North Sea Read More »
What is the shelf-edge margin of the British-Irish Ice Sheet? | How do we know the British-Irish Ice Sheet reached the shelf edge? | How did the British-Irish Ice Sheet retreat from the shelf edge? | Why do we study shelf-edge margins of the British-Irish Ice Sheet? What is the shelf-edge margin of the British-Irish
Shelf-edge margins of the British-Irish Ice Sheet Read More »
What is a glacial erratic? Glacial erratics, often simply called erratics, or erratic boulders, are rocks that have been transported by ice and deposited elsewhere. The type of rock (lithology) that the glacial erratic is made from is different to the lithology of the bedrock where the erratic is deposited. For example, an erratic could
Other relevant articles Glacial Cirques in Snowdonia Upland Cirque Glacier Landsystem in Britain Alpine Icefield landsystem of upland Britain Plateau Icefield Landsystem of the UK Glacial erratics Videos This GIF shows the evolution of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (of which Britain was a part). This animation is based on an ice-sheet reconstruction using glacial geomorphology
British-Irish Ice Sheet Read More »
What is the British-Irish Ice Sheet? | The Devensian British-Irish Ice Sheet | How do we know? | What’s in a name? | Activities | References | Comments What is the British-Irish Ice Sheet? The British-Irish Ice Sheet is a name given to ice sheets that covered Britain and Ireland at different times during the
The LGM British-Irish Ice Sheet: an introduction Read More »
