Late Pleistocene environments in lower Strathspey, Scotland

Adrian M. Hall, Graeme Whittington, Geoffrey A.T. Duller, Jack Jarvis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Sedimentary sequences in lower Strathspey provide a record of Late Pleistocene interglacial and glacial environments. After deposition of till and glacifiuvial sediments, probably in Oxygen Isotope Stage 6, a soil developed at Teindland and Redburn which contains downward translocated pollen. This indicates that the earliest vegetation was woodland with grassland openings, Pinus-Alnus at Teindland and Alnus-Corylus at Red Burn. Podzolisation of the soil ended with an influx of sands derived from erosion of the surrounding slopes, at Teindland perhaps a response to extensive burning during a grassland phase. The combined pollen and sedimentary evidence suggests events at the close of an interglacial. Luminescence dates of 79 ± 6 and 67 ± 5 ka for the sands over the soil suggest that the soil developed in Oxygen Isotope Stage 5e. Overlying the soil and sands at Teindland are glacigenic debris flows, perhaps reflecting glaciation during Oxygen Isotope Stage 4. Three, undated, younger till units, with interbedded gravels, also occur in the surrounding area and provide evidence of the complex glacial history of lower Strathspey since Oxygen Isotope Stage 5.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)253-273
Number of pages21
JournalTransactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences
Volume85
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1994

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • buried soil
  • glacial stratigraphy
  • last interglacial
  • pollen analysis
  • Teindland

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