The geomorphology of Scotland, with particular reference to the southeast

The submission comprises 29 publications (27 papers, a book, and a chapter from a book) together with a commentary thereon. The publications may be grouped under five main headings, although considerable overlap occurs.(i) Tertiary landform evolution, it is suggested that slope retreat was much more important in Tertiary landform evolution than is generally believed, that the erosion surface remnants that now survive have been much modified since their initial formation, and that the apparently conflicting views on the origin of erosion surfaces are less divergent than is generally believed. Particular attention is given to the initiation of the Scottish drainage system and a principal initial watershed of simple form is proposed.(ii) Fluviogiacial landforms. Using evidence obtained particularly by detailed mapping of such landforras in Scotland it is shown that interpretations of fluvioglacial landforms that require the former existence in upland Britain of numerous ice-dammed lakes are largely invalid. These interpretations, which prevailed for over half a century, are replaced by interpretations involving extensive subglacial drainage systems. In addition the concept of the englacial water-table is introduced.(iii) Relative sea-level changes. Relative sea-level changes in Scotland during lateglacial and postglacial times were for eighty years almost always considered in terms of the 100-ft, 50-ft, 25-ft and possible 15-ft raised beaches. This approach is entirely rejected and a new pattern of land/sea-level changes Is developed in detail for 3outh-Eaet Scotland and tentatively outlined for the rest of the country. The need for accurate levelling of raised shorelines and related outwash deposits at closelyspaced intervals is stressed and the results of such work presented. The need to study buried morphology (as well as marlne/estuarine stratigraphy) by means of numerous closely-spaced boreholes is emphasised, and the existence of buried raised beaches and a major buried marine erosional feature in the Forth valley demonstrated. It is also shown by very detailed work that the widely-adopted working hypothesis that glacioisostatic uplift results in regular tilting of raised shorelines does not apply to part of the Forth valley. It is further suggested that important glacial reedvances may result in renewed downvarping of the earth's crust.(iv) Readvanceg. Three glacial readvances have been tentatively postulated by the writer as having occurred in Scotland. The first of these (the Aberdeen-lasaserrauir Readvance) is now rejected. The second (the Perth Keadvanee) is currently the subject of discussion and some salient points relating to this discussion are given in the commentary. The third readvan.ee (the loch Lomond Readvance), originally mapped by the writer at a small scale in Scotland as a whole, is now firmly established and its limits have been mapped at a larger scale in certain parts of Scotland.(v) Some practical anrllcations, hhile drift borehole information obtained in the course of commercial site investigations, mineral prospecting, etc. can constitute valuable evidence relating to landform evolution in certain areas, it can also be used for practical purposes by geooorphologists. The latter should use their specialist knowledge to correlate and plot on maps various aspects of surface geology relating to foundation conditions, such as rockhead relief, drift thickness and character of surfaced ©posits. Examples of such maps, which can be of considerable value for planners, civil engineers, etc., are given for the Grangemouth area and for central Edinburgh.Publications 1. The deglaciation of part of East Lothian. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 25, 1958, 59-77. • 2. Subglacial stream erosion in southern Northumberland. Scot. Geogr. Mag.. 74, 1958, 165-174. • 5. Supposed ice-dammed lakes in Britain with particular reference to the Eddleston valley, southern Scotland. Geogr. Annlr., 40, 1958, 159-187. • 4. Subglacial, marginal, and other glacial drainage in the SyracuseOneida area, New York. Bull. Geol. Soc. America. 71, I960, 1575-1588. • 5. Erosion surfaces, cyclic slopes and drainage systems in southern Scotland and northern England. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 28, I960, 25-58. • 6. Some aspeets of glacial drainage channels in Britain, Part I. Scot. Geogr. Mag.. 76, I960, 151-146. • 7. Some aspects of glacial drainage channels in Britain, Part II. Scot. Geogr. Mag.. 77, 1961, 580-592. • 8. A subglacial drainage system by the Tinto Hills, Lanarkshire. Trans. Edinb. Geol. Soc., 18, 1961, 175-195- • 9. The central and eastern parts of the Laramermuir-Stranraer Moraine.Geol. Mag.. 98, 1961, 380-392. • 10. A re-interpretation of the literature on lateglacial shorelines in Scotland vrith particular reference to the Forth area. Trans. Edinb. Geol. Soc.. 19, 1962, 83-99- • 11. Scottish raised shoreline heights with particular reference to the Forth valley. Geogr. Annlr.. 45, 1963, 180-185. • 12. The glacial drainage system around Carlops, Peeblesshire. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 32, 1963, 95-111. • 13. The Perth Readvance in central Scotland, part I. Scot. Geogr. Mag.. 79, 1963, 151-163. • 14. The Perth Readvance in central Scotland, part II. Scot. Geogr. Mag.. 80, 1964, 28-36. • 15. Peat bogs in a postglacial sea and a buried raised beach in the western part of the Carse of Stirling. Scot. J. Geol.. 1, 1965, 247-255- (with D. E. Smith) • 16. Some pre-carse valleys in the Forth and Tay basins. Scot. Geogr. Mag.. 81, 1965, 115-124. (with R. A. Cullingford and D. E. Smith) • 17. Raised shorelines associated with the Perth Readvance in the Forth valley and their relation to glacial isostasy. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb.. 66, 1965, 143-168. (with D. E. Smith) • 18. Quaternary, in The geology of Scotland, ed. G. Y. Craig, 1965, 467-503. • 19. Relative sea-level changes between 10,300 and 8,300 B.P. in part of the Carse of Stirling. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 39, 1966, 19-29 • 20. Lateglacial and postglacial shorelines in South-East Scotland. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 39, 1966, 9-18. (with D. E. Smith and R. A. Cullingford) • 21. Glacial stages and radiocarbon dat#s in Scotland. Scot. J. Geol., 3, 1967, 375-381. • 22. The evolution of Scotland's scenery. 1967, 259 pp. • 23. Drift stratigraphy and buried morphological features in the Grangemouth-Falkirk-Airth area, central Scotland. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 48, 1969, 19-50. • 24. Isobases for the Main Perth Raised Shoreline in South-East Scotland as determined by trend-surface analysis. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr.. 46, 1969, 45-52. (with D. E. Smith and R. A. Cullingford) • 25. Drift stratigraphy and buried morphology beneath the Forth at Rosyth. Scot. J. Geol., 6, 1970, 272-284. (with D. ¥. Rhind) • 26. Geomorphology and foundation conditions around Grangemouth. Quart. J. Eng. Geol.. 3, 1970, 183-191. 27. The last glaciers in the Lochnagar area. Scot. J. Geol., in the press, (with A. J. H. Grant) • 28. The geomorphology of central Edinburgh. Scot. Geogr. Mag., in the press. • 29. Dislocation and non-uniform uplift of raised shorelines in the western part of the Forth valley. Trans. Inst. Brit. Geogr., in the press

Towards improved empirical isobase models of Holocene land uplift for mainland Scotland, UK

A new approach to modelling patterns of glacio-isostatic land uplift during the Holocene in mainland Scotland, UK, is described. The approach is based upon altitude measurements at the inner margin or locally highest point of raised estuarine surfaces dated by radiocarbon assay supported by microfossil analyses. 2241 altitudes have been analysed by a technique new to studies of former sea-levels, Gaussian Trend Surface Analysis, and isobase models for four Holocene shorelines: the Holocene Storegga Slide tsunami shoreline, abandoned rapidly circa 7900 sidereal years BP; the Main Postglacial shoreline, abandoned during circa 6400–7700 sidereal years BP; the Blairdrummond shoreline, abandoned during circa 4500–5800 sidereal years BP, and a speculative fourth shoreline, the Wigtown shoreline, abandoned during circa 1520–3700 sidereal years BP, are shown in a series of maps. The implications of the shoreline patterns for glaicio-isostasy in the area are discussed. It is maintained that the statistical technique used enables broad estimates to be made of nearshore sea surface change