Quaternary of Scotland

Edited by J.E. Gordon, Scottish Natural Heritage, Edinburgh, Scotland  and D. G. Sutherland Edinburgh, Scotland.

GCR Editor: W.A. Wimbledon

Chapman & Hall

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First edition 1993

© 1993 Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Typeset in ITC Garamond 10/12 by Columns Design & Production Services Ltd, Reading Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Cambridge

ISBN 0 412 48840 X

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the UK Copyright Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may not be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction only in accordance with the terms of the licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the appropriate Reproduction Rights Organization outside the UK. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here should be sent to the publishers at the London address printed on this page.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data

The Quaternary of Scotland / edited by J E. Gordon, D. G. Sutherland. — 1st ed. p. cm. — (The Geological conservation review series ; 6) Includes index. ISBN 0–412–48840–X 1. Geology, Stratigraphic–Quaternary. 2. Geology–Scotland. I. Gordon, J E. (John E.) II. Sutherland, D. G. (Donald G.) III. Series.

QE696.Q3365 1993 551.7'9'09411—dc20 93–12124 CIP

Contents

Contributors

Acknowledgements

Access to the countryside

Foreword

Preface

1 Introduction J E. Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

Rationale for conservation and selection of Quaternary sites in Scotland Introduction to the Quaternary

2 The Quaternary in Scotland D. G. Sutherland and, J E. Gordon

Pre-glacial landform inheritance and the effects of glacial erosion

Quaternary events prior to the Late Devensian ice-sheet glaciation

Late Devensian ice-sheet glaciation

Lateglacial Interstadial

The Loch Lomond Stadial

The Holocene

Conclusion

3 The Shetland Islands

Introduction D. G. Sutherland and, E. Gordon

Fugla Ness H. J. B. Birks

Sel Ayre H. J. B. Birks

Burn of Aith J. Birnie

Garths Voe J. Birnie

Ronas Hill J E. Gordon

4 The Orkney Islands

Introduction D. G. Sutherland and J E. Gordon

Muckle Head and Selwick D. G. Sutherland

Den Wick J E. Gordon

Mill Bay J E. Gordon

Ward Hill, Enegars Corrie and Dwarfie Hamars D. G. Sutherland

5 Caithness

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

The glaciation of Caithness J E. Gordon

Baile an t-Sratha J E. Gordon

Dnimhollistan J E. Gordon

Leavad J E. Gordon

Loch of Winless H. J. B. Birks

6 North-west Highlands

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

Gairloch Moraine C K Ballantyne

Achnasheen J E. Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

An Teallach C. K. Ballantyne

Baosbheinn D. G. Sutherland

Beinn Alligin J E. Gordon

Cnoc a'Mhoraire J. E Gordon

Coire a'Cheud-chnoic J E. Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

Corrieshalloch Gorge L. J. McEwen

Creag nan Uamh T. J. Lawson

Sgùrr Mòr C. K. Ballantyne

Cam Loch H. J B. Birks

Loch Sionascaig H. J. B. Birks

Lochan an Druim H. J. B. Birks

Loch Maree H. J. B. Birks

7 Inverness area

Introduction D. G. Sutherland and J E. Gordon

Clunas A. M. Hall

Dalcharn C. A. Auton

Allt Odhar J. W. Merritt

Clava J E. Gordon

Ardersier J E. Gordon and J. W. Merritt

Struie Channels J E. Gordon

Kildrummie Kames J E. Gordon and C. A. Auton

Littlemill J E. Gordon

Torvean J E. Gordon

Findhorn Terraces L. J. McEwen and A. Werritty

Coire Dho J E. Gordon

Fort Augustus C. R. Firth

Dores C. R. Firth

Barnyards C. R. Firth

Munlochy Valley C. R. Firth

Ben Wyvis C. K. Ballantyne

8 North-east Scotland

Introduction D. G. Sutherland and J E. Gordon

Windy Hills J E. Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

Moss of Cruden A. M. Hall

Pittodrie A. M. Hall

Hill of Longhaven Quarry A. M. Hall

Kirkhill A M Hall and J. Jarvis

Bellscamphie A. M. Hall and J. Jarvis

Boyne Quarry J E. Gordon

Teindland Quarry D. G. Sutherland

Castle Hill D. G. Sutherland

Kippet Hills J E. Gordon

Muir of Dinnet J E. Gordon

Philorth Valley D. E. Smith

9 Eastern Grampian Mountains

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

The Cairngorms J E. Gordon

Lochnagar J E. Gordon and C. K. Ballantyne

Loch Etteridge M. J. C. Walker

Abernethy Forest J E. Gordon

Allt na Feithe Sheilich H. J. B. Birks

Coire Fee H. J. B. Birks

Morrone B. Huntley

Glen Feshie A. Werritty and L. J. McEwen

10 South-west Highlands

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

Tangy Glen D. G. Sutherland

Glenacardoch Point J. M. Gray

Isle of Lismore, the Dog Stone and Clach Tholl J. M. Gray

Moss of Achnacree and Achnaba Landforms J. M. Gray

South Shian and Balure of Shian J. D. Peacock

Glen Roy and the Parallel Roads of Lochaber J E. Gordon

Kingshouse M. J. C. Walker

Pulpit Hill R. M. Tipping

Loch Cill an Aonghais H. J. B. Birks

Eas na Broige debris cone A. Werritty and L. J. McEwen

11 Inner Hebrides

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

The Cuillin D. G. Sutherland

Scarisdale J. M. Gray

Beinn Shiantaidh A. G. Dawson

Western Hills of Rum C. K. Ballantyne

Northern Islay A. G. Dawson

West coast of Jura A. G. Dawson

Gribun M. J. C. Walker

Loch an t-Suidhe M. J. C. Walker

Loch Ashik (Lateglacial profile) M. J. C. Walker

Loch Ashik, Loch Cleat and Loch Meodal H. J. B. Birks

12 Outer Hebrides

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

North-west coast of Lewis J E. Gordon

Port of Ness J E. Gordon

Tolsta Head J E. Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

Glen Valtos D. G. Sutherland

Borve W. Ritchie

Gleann Mòr, Hirta M. J. C. Walker

13 Western Highland Boundary

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

Aucheneck J E. Gordon

Croftamie J E. Gordon

Gartness J E. Gordon

South Loch Lomond: Portnellan, Ross Priory and Claddochside J E. Gordon

Geilston D. G. Sutherland

Rhu Point J E. Gordon

Western Forth Valley D. E. Smith

Mollands J. J. Lowe

Tynaspirit J. J. Lowe

14 Eastern Highland Boundary

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

Nigg Bay J E. Gordon

Burn of Benholm J E. Gordon

Almondbank J E. Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

Shochie Burn J E. Gordon

Dryleys D. E. Smith

Maryton J E. Gordon

Milton Ness D. E. Smith

North Esk and West Water glaciofluvial landforms J E. Gordon and L. J. McEwen

Stormont Loch C. J. Caseldine

15 Fife and lower Tay

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

Inchcoonans and Gallowflat D. G. Sutherland

Carey R. A Cullingford

Silver Moss D. E. Smith

Pitlowie D. E. Smith

Kincraig Point J E. Gordon

Black Loch G. Whittington, K. J. Edwards and P. R. Cundill

16 Western Central Lowlands

Introduction D. G. Sutherland and J E. Gordon

Afton Lodge J E. Gordon

Nith Bridge D. G. Sutherland

Greenock Mains J E. Gordon

Carstairs Kames J E. Gordon

Clochodrick Stone J E. Gordon

Falls of Clyde L. J. McEwen and A Werritty

Dundonald Burn D. G. Sutherland

Tinto Hill C. K. Ballantyne

17 Lothians and Borders

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

The glaciation of the Edinburgh and Lothians area J E. Gordon

Agassiz Rock J E. Gordon

Hewan Bank J E. Gordon

Keith Water J E. Gordon

Carlops J E Gordon and D. G. Sutherland

Rammer Cleugh J E. Gordon

Loch Skene J E. Gordon

Beanrig Moss P. D. Moore

Din Moss H. J. B. Birks

Dunbar J E. Gordon

18 South-west Scotland

Introduction D. G. Sutherland

Port Logan D. G. Sutherland

Tauchers D. G. Sutherland

Bigholm Burn J E. Gordon

Redkirk Point J E. Gordon

Newbie J E. Gordon

Loch Dungeon H. J. B. Birks

Round Loch of Glenhead V. J. Jones and A. C. Stevenson

References

Index

Contributors

J E. Gordon Scottish Natural Heritage, 2 Anderson Place, Edinburgh, EH6 SNP.

D. G. Sutherland 2 London Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6NA.

C. A. Auton British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3LA.

C. K. Ballantyne Department of Geography and Geology, University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST.

J. Birnie Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education, Shaftesbury Hall, St George's Place, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 3PP.

H. J. B. Birks Botanical Institute, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway.

C. J. Caseldine Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Amory Building, Rennes Drive, Exeter, EX4 4RJ.

R. A. Cullingford Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Amory Building, Rennes Drive, Exeter, EX4 4RJ.

P. R. Cundill Department of Geography and Geology, University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST.

A. G. Dawson Department of Geography, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB.

K. J. Edwards Department of Geography, University of Birmingham, P.O. Box 363, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2Tr.

C. R. Firth Geography Section, West London Institute of Higher Education, Borough Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 5DU.

M. Gray Department of Geography, Queen Mary and Westfield College, Mile End Road, London, El 4NS.

A.M. Hall Department of Geography, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP and Department of Geography and Geology, University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST.

B. Huntley Department of Biological Sciences, University of Durham, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE.

J. Jarvis Department of Geography and Geology, University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST.

V. J. Jones Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H OAP.

T. J. Lawson 12 Bonaly Grove, Colinton, Edinburgh, EH13 OPD.

J. J. Lowe Department of Geography, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Egham, Surrey, TW20 OEX.

L. J. McEwen Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education, Shaftesbury Hall, St George's Place, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 3PP.

J. W. Merritt British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3LA.

P. D. Moore Division of Life Sciences, Kings College London, Campden Hill Road, London, W8 7AH.

J. D. Peacock 18 Maclaren Road, Edinburgh, EH9 2BN.

W. Ritchie Department of Geography, University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Road, Old Aberdeen, AB9 2UF.

D. E Smith Department of Geography, Coventry University, Priory Road, Coventry, CV1 5FB.

A. C Stevenson Department of Geography, The University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU.

R. M Tipping Nether Kidston Cottage, Nether Kidston Farm, By Peebles, EH4 8PJ.

M. J. C. Walker Department of Geography, St David's University College, Lampeter, Dyfed, SY48 7ED.

A. Werritty Department of Geography and Geology, University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST.

G. Whittington Department of Geography and Geology, University of St Andrews, Purdie Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9ST.

Acknowledgements

Work on this volume was initiated by the Nature Conservancy Council and has been seen to completion by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee on behalf of the three country agencies, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales. Each site description bears the name of its author(s), but we would like to acknowledge the many colleagues who gave help and advice. In addition to the named contributors, many members of the Quaternary community assisted with information or advice during site selection and documentation: Dr K. D. Bennett, Professor G. S. Boulton, Dr S. Campbell, Dr M. Clapperton, Dr R. Cornish, Dr E. A. FitzPatrick, Dr A. M. D. Gemmell, Dr B. A. Haggart, Dr W. G. Jardine, Dr R. P. Kirby, Dr J. K Maizels, Dr J. H. Martin, Dr R. J. Price, Professor J. Rose, Dr J. B. Sissons, Professor D. E. Sugden, Dr J. A. T. Young and Professor W. B. Whalley. Dr G. P. Black and Dr W. A. Wimbledon also provided early stimulus for the project.

We are particularly grateful to Professor D. Q. Bowen and Professor J. D. Peacock for reviewing the entire text, and we also thank the following people for reviewing or revising parts of the text: Dr C. A. Auton, Dr C. K Ballantyne, Dr S. Campbell, Dr C. R. Firth, Dr A. M. Hall, Dr J. W. Merritt, Professor J. Rose, Professor D. E. Sugden, Dr M. J. C. Walker and Professor W. B. Whalley.

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the Word Processing Department of the former Nature Conservancy Council for typing the original drafts, in particular Susan Bull, Shirley Drake, Kathy Harrison, Ann Murkett and Maureen Symons; also Peter Cann, Caroline Mee, Kevin Hayward and Tanya Jardine and the Library Services of the Nature Conservancy Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and the British Geological Survey (Edinburgh) for assistance with the bibliography and tracing references.

Special thanks go to the GCR publication production team: Dr D. O'Halloran (Project Manager), Neil Ellis (Publications Manager), Valerie A. Wyld (Sub-editor) and Nicholas D. W. Davey (Scientific Officer); and to Lovell Johns Ltd of Colwyn Bay for cartographic production.

The contributions by C. A. Auton and J. W. Merritt are published with permission of the Director of the British Geological Survey (NERC).

Access to the countryside

This volume is not intended for use as a field guide. The description or mention of any site should not be taken as an indication that access to a site is open or that a right of way exists. Most sites described are in private ownership, and their inclusion herein is solely for the purpose of justifying their conservation. Their description or appearance on a map in this work should in no way be construed as an invitation to visit. Prior consent for visits should always be obtained from the landowner and/or occupier.

Information on conservation matters, including site ownership, relating to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) or National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in particular counties or districts may be obtained from the relevant country conservation agency headquarters listed below:

Scottish Natural Heritage 12 Hope Terrace, Edinburgh EH9 2AS.

Countryside Council for Wales, Plas Penrhos, Ffordd Penrhos, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2LQ.

English Nature, Northminster House, Peterborough PE1 1UA.

Foreword

One of the great insights of nineteenth century geology was the recognition that the environmental backdrop against which the drama of human evolution and history had been played was not static, as had been hitherto assumed, but had changed dramatically on relatively short timescales. The young Swiss geologist, Louis Agassiz, who played a major role in bringing about this change in thinking, visited Scotland in 1840 to advocate his new glacial theory, which suggested that the northern continents had suffered widespread glaciation in the recent past. Scottish geologists such as Lyell, Jamieson, MacLaren, Croll and Geikie were quick to pick up his ideas and, seeing ubiquitous evidence of change in their own country's dramatic landscape, led the world in exploring the implications of this revolutionary new concept. These pioneers established the flow patterns of the ice masses which had moulded the rock slabs of the Cuillin of Skye and had dispersed the rocks of Ailsa Craig into England; demonstrated rebound of crust after ice disappearance, which uplifted old shorelines around Oban and Mull high above modern sea level; and showed that great floods of meltwater from the decaying ice masses had produced the hummocky ridges on which many of Scotland's best golf courses are now built. They also showed that there had been rapidly alternating warm and cold periods in the past and that the ultimate drive for climatic change was the Earth's fluctuating orbit around the Sun.

Only recently, however, has the advent of techniques such as pollen analysis, uranium-series dating and radiocarbon dating been able to place a precise timescale on these events. They have revealed the dramatic overlap between an almost unimaginable geological past and a human present as reflected in prehistory and history, showing for example, that 11,000–10,000 years ago, when Jericho was a thriving city, the sites of many modern cities in Scandanavia, and many towns and villages in the Scottish Highlands, were overlain by more than a kilometre of ice.

It is only in the last two decades, with increasing public awareness of the fragility of the ecosystem, of the fact that well-protected botanical reserves appear to 'deteriorate', and of the vulnerability of the Earth's climate itself, that the significance of the geological record of Quaternary environmental change has been generally realised. The record tells us about the frequency and magnitude of natural change in the past, how mean annual temperatures have changed by as much as 5°C in the period of a human lifetime; how floral assemblages have changed rapidly, both in response to climatic change and without any apparent climatic drive; and how the composition of the atmosphere, including its 'greenhouse gases', has varied cyclically and in phase with the climate. The record also tells us about the frequency and magnitude of natural change that long-term dwellers on this Earth should expect, what the consequences of an increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration might be, and what processes should be taken into account in theories about future climate and environmental change.

This understanding is drawn from natural geological archives such as those represented by the sites described in this volume. Many of these archives have been well-read and understood: many others, no doubt, await new techniques or new insights before they yield up their secrets. Just as no civilised person would lightly destroy the books in an ancient library, no more should we lightly contemplate the destruction of this record of the past. However, roads need to be built, minerals need to be mined, food must be grown and people need to be housed, and Quaternary sediments are soft and easily destroyed or removed. Moreover, farmers, in their desire to improve their pastures, may wish to drain bogs containing superb records of past climate and ecological change, whilst elsewhere some of our finest surviving eskers are the most readily available source of sand and gravel for building. Clearly there are difficult decisions to be made about the balance between the need to preserve the geological archive and the need for us to use the land. Such decisions as these, which must be made as a result of debate involving the new natural heritage organisations, need information about the extent and nature of our heritage. This splendid volume is of fundamental importance in helping to define that heritage.

The Quaternary of Scotland documents the most important known Quaternary sites in Scotland and provides a basic factual archive, although there are, no doubt, other sites which are known which will prove to be equally important as a result of new insights and new methods, and others as yet undiscovered which will also join these ranks in the future. The site-by-site observational information described in this volume is associated with interpretations, which indicate the significance of each site in adding to our understanding. The site descriptions are incorporated into regional and Scottish syntheses, so that the role of the individual observations in determining the large-scale theoretical framework can be seen. So great is the amount of the data now available that few syntheses are able to go back to the primary observations, but are based on second and third hand sources. John Gordon and Donald Sutherland have not only done a great service to conservation but also to Quaternary geology in relating the facts to the interpretive framework. Much of the speculation may not survive changes in scientific fashion and theory, but the basic observations will.

The text has great clarity for such a complex subject and the quality of the illustrations is a reminder of that great lure to field science in Scotland: the beauty of the land.

Geoffrey Stewart Boulton FRS, FRSE Regius Professor of Geology, The University of Edinburgh

Preface

Structure of the volume and terminology used

This book contains scientific descriptions of 138 localities of national importance for Quaternary geology, geomorphology and environmental change in Scotland. It consists of two chapters that provide a general overview, followed by 16 regional chapters. The objective of the former chapters is to permit the reader to understand how the details of individual sites fit into the national scheme.

The locations of the regions are shown in (Figure 1.1). Each of the regional chapters has a brief introduction which outlines the Quaternary geology and geomorphology and places the individual sites in their regional context. The individual site descriptions form the core of the book. In each chapter they are arranged, broadly, from oldest to youngest, although many of the sites cover significant periods of time. Each site report consists of a description of the evidence; interpretation of that evidence, with correlation, where relevant, with other localities; and assessment of the significance of the site in a regional, national or international context. Where sites form part of a wider network, then cross-reference is made to related sites to provide fuller understanding of the feature or period being discussed. In addition, where sites are of particular historical significance, then the history of study of the site is dealt with in detail.

There is at present no universally accepted system of terminology for the subdivision of Quaternary deposits in Britain. Mitchell et al. (1973) proposed a correlation scheme based on standard stages. Since that date, however, not only has there been a great increase in knowledge of the Quaternary succession so that the 1973 system is now incomplete, but also certain of the stage names proposed at that time have been questioned as to their suitability or even existence. To avoid confusion, therefore, (Table 1) and (Figure 2.7) have been compiled to show the terminology and approximate accompanying chronology that is used in this book; a simplified summary chart showing the position of each site in the chronology is given in Table 2. The basis of the chronology is the oxygen isotope signal recognized in deep-sea sediments. This signal has been shown to be a function of the Earth's orbital parameters (Hays et al., 1976), and astronomical data have been used to 'tune' the geological time-scale (cf. Imbrie et al, 1984; Pre11 et al., 1986; Ruddiman et al, 1986, 1989; Martinson et al, 1987). For the period back to about 620 ka, the time-scale is that developed by Imbrie et al (1984), which has been substantiated by later work (Prell et al., 1986; Shackleton et al, 1990). For the earlier part of the Quaternary, the revised time-scale of Shackleton et al (1990) is adopted.

Where radiocarbon 'dates' (age estimates) are cited, they are quoted in radiocarbon years before present (AD 1950). It should be noted that the radiocarbon time-scale diverges from the calendrical one, and although calibration is available hack to 9000 years in detail (cf. Pitcher, 1991) and to 30,000 years in outline (Bard et al , 1990), the interpretation of radiocarbon measurements, particularly during parts of the Late Devensian is additionally complicated (cf. Ammann and Lotter, 1989; Zhinden et al., 1989).

Table 2 Summary of stratigraphical positions of sites described in this volume. Sites appear more than once where they have multiple interests or interests of different ages. Sites with features pre-dating the Late Devensian are grouped together because of uncertainties over dating

The informal term 'lateglacial' (equivalent to^. Devensian late-glacial) is well established in the Scottish Quaternary literature and is used throughout this volume following the definitions of Gray and Lowe (1977a). The terms Lateglacial Interstadial and Loch Lomond Stadial are also used. These are climate-stratigraphic, or climatostratigraphic, terms, and as such differ from chronostratigraphic, or time-stratigraphic terms. The latter are intervals of time based on a definition tied to a particular rock-sequence. Climate-stratigraphic terms, however, are based on climatic inferences drawn from rocks, either at a site, or from several sites. The terms Lateglacial Interstadial and Loch Lomond Stadial describe the inferred nature of the climate towards the end of the Devensian Stage. In general terms, the former relates to the time between approximately 13,000 and 11,000 years ago, a time of overall climatic improvement, whereas the latter refers to the time between approximately 11,000 and 10,000 years ago, which corresponds to a time of climatic deterioration.

Comparison with the nomenclature used in Europe shows that the Lateglacial Interstadial corresponds with the Oldest Dryas, Bølling, Older Dryas and Allerød events. The Loch Lomond Stadial corresponds with the Younger Dryas. Attention is drawn to the latter in particular, in view of its importance as an international term in studies seeking to understand the Earth's climate system.

Finally, where the usage of certain local terms for particular landforms or deposits is widely accepted in the literature, these have been retained in the present volume; for example, corrie (cirque) and carse (estuarine silts and clays). Where possible, modern names of marine mollusca are used, following Smith and Heppell (1991).

References