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Glaciation

"To what extent can Britain’s physical geography during the Quaternary be determined through the study of relict glacial and periglacial landforms? (12marks)"

Could anyone help me with answering this question? I don't really know how to answer it nor what to even include. Any pointers would be appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Ðeggs

Regarding palaeoclimate reconstruction here are some ideas you could talk about:

- Cryoturbation and deformation movement of geological strata / law of horizontality, indicating glacial movement and disturbance to strata layers from deglaciation and isostatic rebound.
- Fossils found in glacial landforms of the Coleoptera order (beetles, weevils) with exoskeletons made of chitin that preserve into fossils. Geochemical properties like the compositions of gases in the atmosphere at that particular time can be reconstructed using evidence from these fossils.
- Moraines and glacial sediment till fronts often demarcate the extent of glacial activity and extent of a glacial during the last glacial maximum.
- Palynogy and the study of pollen grains and spores which can be used for carbon dating as these spores are resistant to biological decay and are found in peat and bogs during interglacial periods.
- Dating of long half-life isotopes including Carbon 14 and Beryllium 10 found in clay and varve layers around glacial outwash lakes and lake core sediment reconstructions.