The Carstairs Kames (Lanarkshire, Scotland): morphology, sedimentology and formation

Abstract

The Carstairs Kames have been the subject of debate for over 150 yr. A synthesis of previous work, along with new sedimentological data, is used to reappraise this classic British esker locality. Three morphological elements are recognised: (i) large, sinuous and anastomosing ridges; (ii) large, irregular, linear mounds; and (iii) small, low and irregular mounds. The main ridge system is composed of a core of boulder gravel with sand/pebble gravel above and adjacent to the core. The large, linear mounds contain a varied facies range which include: glaciolacustrine sediments (deltaic sequences, laminites and dropstones); debris flows; and glaciofluvial channel systems. All the deposits, both in the main ridges and in the adjacent linear mounds, contain syn-and post-depositional subsidence structures, including normal faults, synclinal folds and growth faults. A range of potential origins for these landforms is reviewed and it is suggested that glaciofluvial sedimentation in a supraglacial environment, controlled by a topography of ice-cored ridges, is the most appropriate depositional model.

Late Pleistocene sediments, landforms and events in Scotland: a review of the terrestrial stratigraphic record

“…The Highland and Southern Uplands ice caps subsequently separated across southern parts of the Clyde Basin in the vicinity of the Carstairs Eskers (Finlayson 2012; Fig. 29d), supporting the conclusion of Thomas & Montague (1997) and Huddart & Bennett (1997) that this well-documented esker system (Gordon 1993l), and others nearby (Bennett et al . 2007), developed in an interlobate sediment sink during uncoupling of northern- and southern-sourced ice caps.…”

“…The Highland and Southern Uplands ice-caps subsequently separated across southern parts of the Clyde Basin in the vicinity of the Carstairs Eskers (Finlayson 2012) (Fig. 29D), supporting the conclusion of Thomas & Montague (1997) and Huddart & Bennett (1997) that this well-documented esker system (Gordon 1993l), and others nearby (Bennett et al 2007), developed in an interlobate sediment sink during uncoupling of northern-and southern-sourced ice caps. The configuration is roughly that proposed for the supposed 'Perth Readvance' in central Scotland (Sissons 1963(Sissons , 1964(Sissons , 1967a, when the upper catchment of the River Clyde drained eastwards into that of the River Tweed (Shaw & Merritt 1982).…”

Sedimentary record of the younger saalian ice margin stagnation in eastern poland: development of a regular pattern of glaciolacustrine kames

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The Newbigging Esker System, Lanarkshire, Southern Scotland: A Model for Composite Tunnel, Subaqueous Fan and Supraglacial Esker Sedimentation

“…Similar interlobate zones, each associated with extensive icemarginal sedimentation, have been identified during retreat of the Irish Ice Sheet (Warren & Ashley, 1994), the Finnish portion of the Scandinavian ice-sheet (Punkari, 1995), the Laurentide ice-sheet (Veillette, 1986;Gustavson & Boothroyd, 1987) and a modern analogue from Vegbreen, Svalbard (Huddart et al, 1998). The southern Scottish interlobe includes the classic Carstairs esker system (Merritt et al, 1983;Gordon, 1993;Huddart & Bennett, 1997;Thomas & Montague, 1997) and a variety of other esker types in the Douglas valley, to the south-west of Lanark, to the north-east and south-east of Newbigging, between Dolphinton and West Linton and at Romannobridge, together with extensive basins of glaciolacustrine sediment and areas of ice-marginal kame-moraines (Fig. 2).…”