Keywords:
Physical geography.
;
Earth sciences.
;
Geography.
;
Physical Geography.
;
Earth Sciences.
;
Regional Geography.
Description / Table of Contents:
Landscapes and Landforms of Scotland: a Geomorphological Odyssey -- Part I Physical Environment: Scotland: Geological Foundations and Landscape Evolution -- Long-term Denudation and Geomorphology in Scotland -- The Quaternary in Scotland -- Scotland’s Changing Landscape -- Part II Landscapes and Landforms: Geomorphology of the Continental Shelf -- Shetland -- Orkney and Caithness -- The Outer Hebrides and St Kilda -- The Islands of the Hebridean Igneous Province: Skye, Mull, Rùm and Arran -- The Islands of Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Tiree and Coll -- The Far Northwest: Sutherland, Assynt and Coigach -- Wester Ross -- Rock-slope Failures in the North West Highlands -- The Glacial Geomorphology around Inverness and the Great Glen -- Glen Roy and Glen Spean -- Western Grampian Highlands -- The Cairngorm Mountains -- Fluvial Landforms of Glen Feshie and the Spey Drainage Basin -- Central and Eastern Grampian Highlands -- The Buchan Palaeosurface -- Beaches and Dunes of the Moray Firth Coast -- Beaches and Dunes of Eastern Scotland -- Loch Lomond, Menteith and the Forth Valley -- Glacifluvial and Glacilacustrine Landforms of the Midland Valley -- The Midland Valley: Ice-moulded Lowlands -- Upland Landscapes and Landforms of the Southern Uplands -- The Solway Lowlands and Coast -- Part III Geoheritage, Scotland's Geomorphological Heritage and its Conservation -- Index.
Abstract:
This book provides an appealing and informative overview of the outstanding landforms and landscapes of Scotland. Scotland is internationally renowned for the diversity of its geology, landforms and landscapes. The rock record spans most of geological time, from the Archaean to the Palaeogene, and represents the outcome of tectonic plate movements, associated geological processes, and sea-level and climate changes. Scotland incorporates primeval gneiss landscapes, the deeply eroded roots of the Caledonian mountain chain, landscapes of extensional tectonics and rifting, and eroded remnants of volcanic complexes that were active when the North Atlantic Ocean opened during the Palaeogene. The present relief reflects uplift and deep weathering during the Cenozoic, strongly modified during successive episodes of Pleistocene glaciation. This striking geodiversity is captured in this book through 29 chapters devoted to the evolution of Scotland’s scenery and locations of outstanding geomorphological significance, including ancient palaeosurfaces, landscapes of glacial erosion and deposition, evidence of postglacial landscape modification by landslides, rivers and wind, and coastal geomorphology. Dedicated chapters focus on Ice Age Scotland and the associated landscapes, which range from alpine-type mountains and areas of selective glacial erosion to ice-moulded and drift-covered lowlands, and incorporate accounts of internationally renowned sites such as the ‘Parallel Roads’ of Glen Roy, the Cairngorm Mountains and the inselbergs of Assynt. Other chapters consider the record of postglacial rock-slope failures, such as the famous landslides of Trotternish on Skye, and the record of fluvial changes since deglaciation. The sea-level history of Scotland is addressed in terms of its raised and submerged shorelines, while several chapters discuss the contrasting coastal landscapes, which range from the spectacular sea cliffs of Shetland and Orkney to the beaches and dunes of eastern Scotland. The role of geoconservation in preserving Scotland’s outstanding geomorphological heritage is outlined in the final chapter. The book offers an up-to-date and richly illustrated reference guide for geomorphologists, other Earth scientists, geographers, conservationists, and all those interested in geology, physical geography, geomorphology, geotourism, geoheritage and environmental protection. .
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
Pages:
XIV, 503 p. 273 illus., 242 illus. in color.
,
online resource.
Edition:
1st ed. 2021.
ISBN:
9783030712464
Series Statement:
World Geomorphological Landscapes,
URL:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71246-4
DOI:
10.1007/978-3-030-71246-4
DDC:
910.02
Language:
English
