A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis
Abstract A series of very wide (up to 15 km) raised shore platforms in the Scottish Hebrides are identified and described for the first time and are considered part of a high rock platform shoreline in the western isles of Scotland described by W. B. Wright in his classic Geological Magazine paper a...
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2012
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756812000568 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756812000568 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0016756812000568 2024-03-03T08:45:03+00:00 A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis DAWSON, ALASTAIR G. DAWSON, SUE COOPER, J. ANDREW G. GEMMELL, ALASTAIR BATES, RICHARD 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756812000568 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756812000568 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Geological Magazine volume 150, issue 2, page 360-366 ISSN 0016-7568 1469-5081 Geology journal-article 2012 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756812000568 2024-02-08T08:30:00Z Abstract A series of very wide (up to 15 km) raised shore platforms in the Scottish Hebrides are identified and described for the first time and are considered part of a high rock platform shoreline in the western isles of Scotland described by W. B. Wright in his classic Geological Magazine paper a century ago as a ‘preglacial’ feature. Subsequent interpretations suggesting that the platforms were produced during the Pleistocene are rejected here in favour of a speculative hypothesis that the features are part of the well-known strandflat that is extensively developed across large areas of the northern hemisphere. It is argued that the Scottish strandflat developed during the Pliocene and was later subjected to extensive Pleistocene glacial erosion such that only a few areas of platform have survived in the Scottish Inner Hebrides (ice-proximal) while they are well-preserved in the Outer Hebrides (ice-distal). Support for a Pliocene hypothesis is provided by the marine oxygen isotope record for this time interval which points to prolonged periods of relative sea level stability as would be required for the production of such wide features. This hypothesis for the formation of a Scottish strandflat not only provides an elegant explanation for the origin and age of the raised rock platform fragments that occur throughout the western isles of Scotland, but it may also have relevance for other coastal areas of the northern hemisphere (e.g. Norway, Greenland, Alaska) where the strandflat is a well-developed feature. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Alaska Cambridge University Press Greenland Norway High Rock ENVELOPE(-111.452,-111.452,58.917,58.917) Geological Magazine 150 2 360 366 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Geology |
spellingShingle |
Geology DAWSON, ALASTAIR G. DAWSON, SUE COOPER, J. ANDREW G. GEMMELL, ALASTAIR BATES, RICHARD A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
topic_facet |
Geology |
description |
Abstract A series of very wide (up to 15 km) raised shore platforms in the Scottish Hebrides are identified and described for the first time and are considered part of a high rock platform shoreline in the western isles of Scotland described by W. B. Wright in his classic Geological Magazine paper a century ago as a ‘preglacial’ feature. Subsequent interpretations suggesting that the platforms were produced during the Pleistocene are rejected here in favour of a speculative hypothesis that the features are part of the well-known strandflat that is extensively developed across large areas of the northern hemisphere. It is argued that the Scottish strandflat developed during the Pliocene and was later subjected to extensive Pleistocene glacial erosion such that only a few areas of platform have survived in the Scottish Inner Hebrides (ice-proximal) while they are well-preserved in the Outer Hebrides (ice-distal). Support for a Pliocene hypothesis is provided by the marine oxygen isotope record for this time interval which points to prolonged periods of relative sea level stability as would be required for the production of such wide features. This hypothesis for the formation of a Scottish strandflat not only provides an elegant explanation for the origin and age of the raised rock platform fragments that occur throughout the western isles of Scotland, but it may also have relevance for other coastal areas of the northern hemisphere (e.g. Norway, Greenland, Alaska) where the strandflat is a well-developed feature. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
DAWSON, ALASTAIR G. DAWSON, SUE COOPER, J. ANDREW G. GEMMELL, ALASTAIR BATES, RICHARD |
author_facet |
DAWSON, ALASTAIR G. DAWSON, SUE COOPER, J. ANDREW G. GEMMELL, ALASTAIR BATES, RICHARD |
author_sort |
DAWSON, ALASTAIR G. |
title |
A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
title_short |
A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
title_full |
A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
title_fullStr |
A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
title_sort |
pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the western isles of scotland: a speculative hypothesis |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756812000568 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756812000568 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-111.452,-111.452,58.917,58.917) |
geographic |
Greenland Norway High Rock |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Norway High Rock |
genre |
Greenland Alaska |
genre_facet |
Greenland Alaska |
op_source |
Geological Magazine volume 150, issue 2, page 360-366 ISSN 0016-7568 1469-5081 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756812000568 |
container_title |
Geological Magazine |
container_volume |
150 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
360 |
op_container_end_page |
366 |
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1792500565696053248 |