Pre-Quaternary geomorphological history and geoheritage of Britain

Abstract

AbstrAct. Substantial parts of the British Isles preserve landscapes that are the legacy of pre-Quaternary times. Some of these may be the result of burial and exhumation of pre-Cenozoic features. However, most landscapes post-date the Cretaceous transgression during which a Chalk mantle was laid down. Much of the British Isles became land during the Palaeogene and the Chalk cover was rapidly removed over large areas. Sea floor spreading, thermal uplift, and intrusion and extrusion of igneous material occurred. Landscapes also evolved in response to warm climatic conditions and this may have led to etchplanation. In the Neogene various surface formed and were affected by ongoing tectonic activity. Various estimates have been made of Cenozoic denudation rates and amounts, but they appear to have varied spatially and temporally. Landscapes which provide tangible evidence of pre-Quaternary times include those of north-east Scotland and southern England. Such ancient landscapes are important components of the Geoheritage of Britain.

What and where are periglacial landscapes?

“…For the granite upland of Dartmoor, the major topographic features were strongly shaped by dynamic etchplanation during the Paleogene and by sandy grus weathering during the Neogene, 168 with periglacial modification in the Pleistocene being visually evident but relatively minor 92 . The rolling upland topography with its tors and basins resulted from long‐term differential denudation driven by deep weathering and stripping of saprolite 169 .…”

“…The major topographic feature of the English chalklands is an erosional surface interpreted as an etchplanated summit surface that originated during the Paleogene. The highest parts of this surface (“Chalk uplands” of Jones 171 ) have been shaped continuously thereafter by subaerial processes, whereas the lower parts (“Backslope Bench” of Jones 171 ) were first buried by marine sediments and later exhumed during the late Neogene and Pleistocene 92 ; thus both areas of the chalklands became exposed to recurrent periglaciation at the beginning of the Pleistocene.…”

“…Such regions tend to occur in the mid‐latitudes to the south of the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets in North America, and to the south the Fennoscandian, Barents–Kara, and British–Irish ice sheets in Eurasia ( 62 ; Figure 3). In the absence of glacial landforms and landscapes, inheritance of nonglacial features such as Neogene or Paleogene erosion surfaces tends to be more evident (e.g., 92 ), determining the initial conditions on which periglaciation has operated.…”

Toponymy of the Ancient Sary-Arka (North-Eastern Kazakhstan)

“…Knowledge of the culture-historical evolution, the relief physiognomy formation and anthropogenic-natural interactions to specific geomorphic settings in a particular area contributes to the local landscape management, geoheritage promotion and geotourism development (e.g., Coratza et al 2012, Migon and Goudie 2012, Thomas 2012, Zwoliński, Stachowiak 2012, Ilieş et al 2017. The Sary-Arka region of NE Kazakhstan has a major potential in this respect (Zhensikbayeva et al 2017(Zhensikbayeva et al , 2018.…”

Mapping Geosites as Gateways to the Geotourism Management in Central High-Atlas (Morocco)

“…Perret 2014). Geoheritage and geotourism are intimately linked together in the fact that the development of the latter increase if the former is rich, diverse and scenic (Migoń, Goudie 2012). In the same direction, there has been a growing interest in geoheritage and geosites to geotourism promotion.…”