Britain and Ireland: glacial landforms during the Younger Dryas Stadial

The Younger Dryas Stadial saw a readvance of glaciers across Britain and Ireland, where it is referred to as the Loch Lomond Stadial and the Nahanagan Stadial, respectively. In Scotland, a large ice cap/ice field formed over the Western Highlands with smaller ice fields, valley glaciers and cirque glaciers occupying the peripheral mountains and islands. In England, plateau icefields covered parts of the Lake District, with adjacent cirque and valley glaciers, while in Wales, Ireland and other upland regions of England, glaciers were confined to cirques. The geomorphological legacy of glaciation during the Younger Dryas is well preserved and has produced a range of distinct glacial landsystems. However, in many areas of Britain and Ireland, there are still considerable uncertainties over the extent and timing of the Late-glacial glacier successions, especially in England, Wales and Ireland, where most are undated. Even in Scotland, which contains the majority of dated glacial successions for this interval, questions remain regarding the extent and longevity of Younger Dryas ice.