This 1987 book examines the intimate link between periglacial geomorphology and the fluctuating climates of the Quaternary Period in the British Isles. In the last two million years, ice sheets have covered northern Britain several times. In the south, at the limit of the glaciation, intense frost action and the formation of permafrost have influenced past and present landscapes. The first part of the book looks at areas of the world that have climates similar to periglacial Britain: Scandinavia, the Canadian Arctic, and alpine regions. Contributors then present data on periglacial landforms in the British Isles. Topics discussed include the periglaciation of upland Britain, ground ice depressions, and pingo remnants. The regions surveyed stretch from northern Scotland to the Isles of Scilly. The contributions are based on a conference held in late 1985 under the sponsorship of the International Geographical Union and the Quaternary Research Association of the United Kingdom.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Introduction; Part I. The Search for Analogues; Section 1. Present Cold Environments: 1. Periglacial forms of Svalvbard: a review Jonas Åkerman; 2. Periglacial processes and landforms in the Western Canadian Arctic H. M. French; 3. Periglacial phenomena of northern Fennoscandia Matti Seppälä; 4. Spatial and temporal trends in alpine periglacial studies: implications for paleo reconstruction Colin E. Thorn and Deborah S. Loewenherz; Section 2. Pleistocene Conditions in Adjacent Europe: 5. Pleistocene periglacial conditions and geomorphology in north central Europe Johannes Karte; 6. Weichselian periglacial structures and their environmental significance: Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France A. Pissart; Part II. Britain and Ireland; Section 3. Introduction: 7. Permafrost stratigraphy in Britain - a first approximation Peter Worsley; 8. Periglacial periods in Ireland William P. Warren; 9. The present-day periglaciation of upland Britain Colin K. Ballantyne; Section 4. Weathering and soils: 10. Frost weathered mantles on the Chalk R. B. G. Williams; 11. Frost and salt weathering as periglacial processes: the results and implications of some laboratory experiments L. C. Jerwood, D. A. Robinson and R. B. G. Williams; 12. Effects of the Devensian cold stage on soil characteristics and distribution in eastern England J. A. Catt; 13. Periglacial features in the soils of north east Scotland E. A. Fitzpatrick; 14. Characteristic ratios of width to depth-of-sorting for sorted stripes in the English Lake District Jeff Warburton; 15. Rock platform erosion on periglacial shores: a modern analogue for Pleistocene rock platforms in Britain A. G. Dawson, J. A. Matthews and R. A. Shakesby; Section 5. Permafrost and ground ice: 16. Ramparted ground ice depressions in Britain and Ireland R. H. Bryant and C. P. Carpenter; 17. Origin of small hollows in Norfolk R. G. West; 18. The distribution and age of pingo remnants in Ireland P. Coxon and P. O'Callaghan; 19. The role of thermokarst in landscape development in eastern England Rodney G. O. Burton; Section 6. Slopes, Sediments and Mass Wasting: 20. Solifluction and related periglacial deposits in England and Wales Charles Harris; 21. Periglacial sediments and landforms in the Isles of Scilly and West Cornwall J. D. Scourse; 22. Late Devensian periglacial slope deposits in the Cheviot Hills T. D. Douglas and S. Harrison; 23. Strongly folded structures associated with permafrost degradation and solifluction at Lyme Regis, Dorset J. N. Hutchinson and D. W. Hight; 24. Non-marine molluscan faunas of periglacial deposits in Britain D. H. Keen; 25. Sedimentological aspects of periglacial terrace aggradations: a case study from the English Midlands Martin Dawson; 26. The periglacial history of Buchan, north east Scotland E. R. Connell and A. M. Hall; 27. The significance of periglacial features on Knocknadobar, south west Ireland I. M. Quinn; Index.