Holocene reworking of drift-mantled hillslopes in the Scottish Highlands

Curry, Alastair M.

doi:10.1002/1099-1417(200007)15:5<529::aid-jqs531>3.0.co;2-d

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Hillslope flows tend to be most common on slopes mantled by sediment with a cohesionless sandy matrix, and are therefore particularly widespread on sandstone and granite mountainsides (Innes, 1983b(Innes, , 1986. Hillslope flows occur on talus (Hinchliffe et al, 1998;Hinchliffe, 1999) and regolith derived from weathered bedrock (Innes, 1986;Reid & Thomas, 2006), but are most widespread on glacigenic deposits mantling valley-side slopes (Baird & Lewis, 1957;Brazier et al, 1988;Brazier & Ballantyne, 1989, Ballantyne & Benn, 1996Curry 2000aCurry , 2000b; Figure 15). The characteristic landforms produced by drift reworking are deep driftcut gullies feeding coalescing debris cones with surface gradients averaging 10-258.…”

Section: Paraglacial Modification Of Drift-mantled Slopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Radiocarbon dates obtained for the top of a buried soil or peat layer yield a maximum age for the overlying debris-flow deposit, whereas dates obtained for the base of a buried soil or peat layer provide a minimum age for the underlying debris flow deposit. At some locations, stacked debris flow deposits are separated by two or more dated soil or peat horizons (Figure 16), allowing a fairly detailed history of Holocene debris-flow activity to be reconstructed (Brazier & Ballantyne, 1989;Hinchliffe, 1999;Curry, 2000aCurry, , 2000bReid & Thomas, 2006).…”

Section: Timing Of Drift-slope Reworkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Progressive pedogenesis may also have reduced the shearing resistance of steep drift-mantled slopes, rendering them more vulnerable to failure during extreme rainstorms (Brooks et al, 1995). Exceptional rainstorm events, possibly related to long-term cycles of climate change, represent the most likely trigger of debris flow activity following the initial phase of paraglacial hillslope readjustment in the early Holocene (Brazier & Ballantyne, 1989;Hinchliffe, 1999;Curry, 2000aCurry, , 2000bReid & Thomas, 2006). Although the available data ( Figure 17) show that debris flow activity has occurred throughout much of the past 7000 years, clustering of radiocarbon ages suggests that periods of enhanced debris-flow activity may have occurred within the past 700 years, 1700-2700 years ago and (more tentatively) 3400-3800 and 5900-6400 years ago.…”

Section: Timing Of Drift-slope Reworkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

After the Ice: Holocene Geomorphic Activity in the Scottish Highlands

Ballantyne

2008

Scottish Geographical Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A rich variety of processes have modified the glacial landscape of the Scottish Highlands since the last glaciers disappeared 11,500 years ago. Many of these processes can be described as paraglacial (glacially-conditioned): retreat of glacier ice has resulted in exposure of metastable sediment sources (rock slopes, drift-mantled slopes and valley-floor glacigenic deposits) that have been reworked over a range of timescales. Much of the reworked sediment has been deposited in paraglacial sediment stores (talus accumulations, debris cones, alluvial fans, valley fills, river terraces and deltas). The trajectory of paraglacial sediment transfer can be approximated by an exhaustion model. A corollary of this model is that all sediment stores eventually undergo a change from net accumulation to net erosion, reflecting the non-renewable nature of sediment sources. This concept helps to explain why most talus accumulations, debris cones and alluvial fans in the Highlands are now relict, and why many floodplains appear to have experienced an initial period of aggradation followed by later river incision and terrace development. Since deglaciation, rock slopes have experienced paraglacial stress release due to differential deglacial unloading. Many rock slopes have remained stable or experienced gradual adjustment through intermittent rockfall. At over 600 sites, however, large-scale rock-slope failure has occurred, either in the form of catastrophic failure with complete or arrested debris runout, or as major slope deformations. Modification of drift-mantled slopes has been dominated by rainstorm-generated debris flows activity, which have stripped sediment from slopes and redeposited it in debris cones. Radiocarbon dating of buried organic horizons shows that debris flows have occurred intermittently throughout the Holocene. Snow avalanches have played only a localized role in paraglacial sediment transfer. The Holocene alluvial history of the Highlands is poorly understood. Some alluvial fans formed during a few exceptional flood events, and there is evidence that postglacial floodplain aggradation peaked in the late Holocene and was succeeded by floodplain incision and terrace development, possibly reflecting upstream reduction in paraglacial sediment supply. Other processes have operated independently of glacial conditioning. The effects of wind action are dominant in the coastal zone, forming dunefields through aeolian reworking of beach sand, and on plateaux in the form of deflation surfaces and sand sheets. Extensive erosion of plateau-top sands and aeolisols occurred in the period AD 1550-1700, a period of exceptional storminess. Small-scale periglacial processes have also been active on high ground throughout the Holocene, including granular weathering of exposed rock surfaces, the development of small-scale frost-sorted patterned ground on unvegetated terrain, and slow downslope movement of solifluction sheets, solifluction lobes and ploughing boulders.

show abstract

Section: Paraglacial Modification Of Drift-mantled Slopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timing Of Drift-slope Reworkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timing Of Drift-slope Reworkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

After the Ice: Holocene Geomorphic Activity in the Scottish Highlands

Ballantyne

2008

Scottish Geographical Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Across Scotland and northern England, the identification of relic alluvial fans and other terrace sediments have been cited as evidence for distinct episodes of increased slope-channel coupling during the Holocene. Generally, it is suggested that soils in these eroded areas have been sensitized to the effects of climate change through human activities including deforestation, cereal cultivation and overgrazing (Brazier et al 1988;Curry 2000;Chiverrell et al 2001;Chiverrell et al 2007;Harvey and Renwick 1987;Macklin 1999;Tipping 1995) and such cause-effect relationships has been modelled through computer simulation by Coulthard and Macklin (2001).…”

Section: Increased Slope-channel Couplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of climate change on archaeological resources in Britain: a catchment scale assessment

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper illustrates the potential impact of future climate change on the archaeological resource of river catchments, specifically in Britain, but with reference to other examples across the globe, when considering issues of generic applicability. It highlights an area of the environmental record often neglected by policy makers and environmental planners when considering the impact of climate change; where cultural heritage has been considered in the past, an emphasis has been placed on the historic built environment and major monuments. Through studying the recent past, particularly the last 1,000 years, geomorphologists and geoarchaeologists can add much empirical data to these debates concerning system response. In addition to the impact of the changing intensity and pattern of natural geomorphic processes, human response to climate change ranging from new farming practices through to the implementation of mitigation strategies to minimise Climatic Change (2008) 91:405-422

show abstract

“…Over the past decade, a number of studies have focused on the timing, magnitude and frequency of past colluvial activity, especially debris-flow activity, in the mountains of Europe, and the implications of such data for reconstructing the timing of extreme rainstorm events within the broader context of Holocene climate change (Jonasson and Strö mquist, 1988;Nyberg and Lindh, 1990;Jonasson, 1991Jonasson, , 1993André, 1995;González Díez et al, 1996;Matthews et al, 1997;Blikra and Nemec, 1998;Hinchliffe, 1999;Curry, 2000). It appears that more data, particularly high-resolution dating of debris-flow events, are needed from different climatic zones to elucidate the relationship between debris-flow frequency and climate change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene colluvial (debris‐flow and water‐flow) processes in eastern Norway: stratigraphy, chronology and palaeoenvironmental implications

Sletten

Blikra

2007

J Quaternary Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Very little is known about the temporal pattern and the palaeoenvironmental implications of Holocene colluvial processes (debris‐flow and water‐flow processes) in eastern Norway. In this study, well‐dated sedimentary successions from 19 deep excavations are used to reconstruct Holocene colluvial activity in upper Gudbrandsdalen, eastern Norway. Following deglaciation, debris‐flow and water‐flow events have been common in upper Gudbrandsdalen throughout the Holocene, with 62% of the recognised debris‐flow and water‐flow units deposited prior to 5000 cal. yr BP. Relatively high colluvial activity is recorded at ca. 8600–7400, 2400–1900 and 800–400 cal. yr BP, with a conspicuous peak at ca. 8500–8100. Periods of relatively low colluvial activity are recorded at ca. 7100–6500, 5900–5300 and 3500–2500 cal. yr BP. Two different weather situations, unusually heavy rains and warm periods during the snowmelt season, are responsible for triggering colluvial processes in this area. These different weather situations may in turn be related to different climatic conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Holocene reworking of drift-mantled hillslopes in the Scottish Highlands

Cited by 27 publications

References 50 publications

After the Ice: Holocene Geomorphic Activity in the Scottish Highlands

After the Ice: Holocene Geomorphic Activity in the Scottish Highlands

The impact of climate change on archaeological resources in Britain: a catchment scale assessment

Holocene colluvial (debris‐flow and water‐flow) processes in eastern Norway: stratigraphy, chronology and palaeoenvironmental implications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About