Cosmogenic 10BE age constraints for the Wester Ross Readvance moraine: Insights into British Ice-Sheet behaviour

Jeremy D. Everest*, Tom Bradwell, Chris J. Fogwill, Peter W. Kubik

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study presents the first absolute-age constraints from a palaeo-ice-sheet margin in western Scotland. Cosmogenic 10Be from four Lewisian gneiss boulders on the Gairloch Moraine in NW Scotland have yielded reliable exposure ages. Three of these dates, taken from a single moraine ridge, cluster around c. 15.5-18 ka BP, with a weighted mean of 16.3 ± 1.6 ka BP. These findings indicate that the last British Ice Sheet had retreated to the present-day coastline in NW Scotland by this time. It is suggested that the Wester Ross Readvance represents an ice-sheet oscillation during, or in the immediate aftermath of, Heinrich Event 1 (c. 17-18 ka BP).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9-17
Number of pages9
JournalGeografiska Annaler, Series A: Physical Geography
Volume88
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Geology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cosmogenic 10BE age constraints for the Wester Ross Readvance moraine: Insights into British Ice-Sheet behaviour'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this