Glacial Geology

Earth’s glacial geological record spans the Quaternary and earlier glaciations through geological time. The Quaternary record of past ice sheets is found both on land and in marine sediments. Glacial geological investigations usually comprise both sedimentological and stratigraphic elements and, where, possible detailed chronological control. Recent work has included studies of the glacial history of Europe and the UK and the Quaternary stratigraphy of the Canadian Beaufort margin, and previous work has also involved the late Ordovician glacial rocks of Northern Africa.

Research projects

Research projects currently being undertaken on this theme include:

Engineering geology of formerly glaciated and periglaciated terrains This project aims to investigate the influence of past terrestrial glacier and ground ice formation and decay on the variability in geotechnical properties and behaviour of Quaternary engineering soils. Geological bedrock of the Oxford Clay Formation and clay-rich diamicton (till) in the geographical area of the English south Midlands is investigated in in relation to the middle Pleistocene Anglian (Elsterian) glacial limit.

Pleistocene glaciation of Fenland, England and its implications for evolution of the region The East Anglian Fenland is a striking region in the English landscape, its low-lying nature belying the apparent lack of striking geological features. Rivers from the surrounding uplands to the east, south and west enter the Fenland, discharging into the The Wash, where they enter the North Sea. Extensive areas now slightly above or below present sea level, enclosing island-like high ground, the geology is sensitive to sea-level changes. These have affected the nature of sediments deposited over the last half-million years, a period associated with Middle and Late Pleistocene glaciation. Although the history and filling of the basin during the Holocene (from c.11 ky) has been thoroughly investigated, and despite the abundant geological information available, the basin's earlier, post-Anglian, history has received no treatment.

Earlier projects

• Semi-automated mapping of glacial landforms