https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ Theses Digitisation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/digitisation/ This is a digitised version of the original print thesis. Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] THE GLACIATION AND D5GLACIATION OF UPPER NITHSDAIE ANt) ANN AND ALE BY J . A. M A Y , B .S c• Thesis submitted to the University for the degree of Doctor of Philoso ProQuest Number: 10984233 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10984233 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 TO MY MUM AND DAD, FOR EVERYTHING TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I Chaper I INTRODUCTION Page 1.1. INTRODUCTION .......................................... 1 1.2. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ................................ 2 1.3. UPPER NITHSDALE AND ANNANDALE - LOCATION AND EXTENT ..................................... 3 1.4. UPPER NITHSDALE AND ANNANDALE - GEOLOGY AND RELIEF .................... 5 1.5. UPPER NITHSDALE AND ANNANDALE - EVOLUTION OF PRESENT DRAINAGE SYSTEM .................... 15 l.So ORGANISATION OF THE THESIS ............................. 21 Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................... 23 Chapter 3 AREA I 3.1. INTRODUCTION - LOCATION AND EXTENT ...................... -.44 3.2. RELIEF AND DRAINAGE .................................... 44 3.3. GEOLOGY .................'............................. 47 3.4. GLACIAL EROSION ....................................... 48 Glacial troughs ................................ 48 Glacially-breached cols.......................... 53 Cirques ........................................ 57 Striaticns, roches moutonnees and ice-moulded bedrock ........... 60 Summary ........... 62 3.5. GLACIAL DEPOSITION........................... £3 Drumlins ....................................... 70 Moraines ....................................... 71 a) Loch Skene Moraines ...................... 72 b) Moraines in the Carrifran and Slackhope valleys.. .......................... 77 c) Formation of Lorainic Mounds in Area I ..................................... 73 3.6. FLUVICGLACIAL ERCSICN .................................. 79 Channel systems in Moffatdale................... 80 Page Channel systems in Upper Annandaie 8 5 a) Area to the north of Moffat ..... 85 b) Area totthe south of Moffat ................... 89 Channel systems in the vicinity of the Evan ’Mater valley ........................ 90 Conditions leading to the formation of the meltwater channel pattern in Area I * ........ 93 Summary ................. 10 5 3.7. FLUVICGLACIAL DESP0SITI0N .................................. 106 Moffatdale ........................... 107 Upper Annandaie .................................112 a) Fluvioglacial deposits to the south-east of Moffat ......................... 112 b) Fluvioglacial deposits to the north-west of Moffat .......................... 117 Fluvioglacial deposits in the vicinity of- the Evan Water valley ............... 122 a) Garpol Water valley ......................... 122 b) Loch'an valley ............................... 125 Summary .......................... 132 3.8. CONCLUSIONS ................................................ 134- Chapter . 4 AREA II 4.1. INTRODUCTION - LOCATION AND EXTENT .......................... 137 4.2. RELIEF AND DRAINAGE .........................................138 4.3. GEOLOGY .................................. 140 4.4. GLACIAL EROSION .............................. 141 Glacial troughs .................................142 Glacially-breached cols ......................... 145 Cirques ........................................ 149 Striations and roche moutonnees ................. 152 Summary ........................................ 154 4.5. GLACIAL............. DEPOSITION ............................. 155 Moraines ....................................... 162 Moraines in the Lang Cleuch valley.. .............163 Moraines in the Riccart Cleuch valley . ......... 165 Formation of morainic mounds in Area II ........... 168 4.6. FLUVIOGLACIAL EROSION ....................................... 168 Channel systems in Area II a) Channels along the north and north-western boundary ........................170 b) Channels along the south and south-western boundary ........ 172 c) Channels along the eastern boundary .......... .178 d) Channels in the central part of Area II ....... 179 Glacial conditions leading to the establishment of the meltwater channel pattern in Area II.............. 183 a) Fluvioglacial erosion in association with Nithsdale ice ............ 184 b) Fluvioglacial erosion in association with Lcwther ice .......................... 192 c) Summary ..................................... 195 Page 4.7. FLUVIOGLACIAL DEPOSITION ................................... 19b Cap el valley ................ 197 Backhill Moss ................... 203 Daer Reservoir ......................... 2Co Nether Fingland ............................... 208 Summary ..... 209 4.8. CONCLUSIONS.................... 211 Chapter 5 AREA III 5.1. INTRODUCTION - LOCATION AND EXTENT ........................... 216 5.2. RELIEF AND DRAINAGE ......................................... 217 5.3. GEOLOGY ..................................................... 219 5.4. GLACIAL EROSION ............................................. 221 Glacial troughs ...... 222 Glacially-breached cols ....... 223 Striations and roche moutonnees ................. 225 Summary ............................. 227 5.5. GLACIAL DEPOSITION .......................................... 228 Drumlins ....................................... 237 5.6. FLUVIOGLACIAL EROSION ....................................... 238 Channel systems in Area III a) Higher group of channels above 300 m.o.d....... 239 b) Lower group ofchannels below 300 m.o.d......... 245 Summary ............. 261 5.7. FLUVIOGLACIAL DEPOSITION ..................................... 262 Bumsands valley ............................... 262 Todholes ....................................... 266 Nith valley floor ............................ 268 Summary ........................................ 273 5.8. CONCLUSIONS Chapter 6 CONCLUSIONS 6.1. MODELLING THE LAST MAJOR GLACIATION AND DEGLACIATION IN UPPER NITHSDALE AND ANNANDALE ............................. 278 6.2. CHRONOLOGY AND CLIMATIC IMPLICATIONS.. ........................ 293 6.3. RELATIONSHIP OF FINDINGS TO PREVIOUSRESEARCH '.YORK IN ADJACENT AREAS ...................................... 299 APPENDICES I PARTICLE-SIZE ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENTS... ........................ 30 2 II PREFERRED-STONE ORIENTATION .................................. 305 III ANALYSIS OF RESULTS FROM PREFERRED-STONE ORIENTATION ................................................. 307 BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST 0-b' LAPS AND DlAGnALS Figure 1.1. Location of the thesis area. 1.2. Boundary lines to thesis area. 1.3. Geology of Upper Nithsdale and Annandaie. 1.4. Relief and drainage of Upper Nithsdale and Annandaie. 1.5. Sub-areas of Upper Nithsdale and Annandaie. 2.1. Glacier-mcraines of Loch Skene - Young, 1864. 2.2. Glaciation of Southern Scotland - Charlesworth, 1926b. 2.3. Glacial landforms in the Nith valley between New Cumnock and Sanquhar. - Simpson and Richey, 19 36. 2.4. Glacial retreat features in Lid-Nithsdale - Stone, 1959. 2.5. Successive limits of the last ice sheet and associated directions of ice movement - Sissons, 1967a. 3.1. Area I - Location and extent. 3.2. Area I - Relief and drainage. 3.3. Area I - Geology. 3.4. The Glacial Geomorphology and Superficial deposits of Area II. (Enclosure, Volume II). 3.5. Landforms of glacial erosion in Loffatdale and Upper Annandaie. 3.6. Area I - Cross-sections. 3.7. Stages in build up of ice in Loffatdale. 3.8. Area I - Altitude and alignment of cols. 3.9. Big Hill - Yadburgh Hill col. 3.10. Area I - Altitude and orientation of cirques. 3.11. Principal directions of ice movement across Area I during the last glaciation. 3.12. Area I - Rose diagrams. 3.13. Drumlinoid forms in Area I. 3.14. Aerial photo - moraines in the vicinity of Loch Skene. 3.15. L0ch Skene moraines. 3.16. Bathymetric survey of Loch Skene 3.17. Moraines in the Blackhcpe valley. 3.18/... 3.18. Moraines in the Carrifran valley. 3.19. Extent of Zone III glaciers in Area I. 3.2C. Meltwater channel systems in Area I . 3.21. Channel systems C and D. 3.22. Channel systems L.N, and 0. 3.23. Channel system II. 3.24. Channel systems CC, EE, FF and GG. 3.25. Channel system RR. 3.26 Fluvioglacial landforms in the