Some Estimates of Periglacial Erosion in Southern and Eastern England
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/BP/1968/17/15Keywords:
periglacial erosion, solifluction, permafrost, Pleistocene, EnglandAbstract
The paper attempts a quantitative assessment of periglacial erosion in southern and eastern England, as most previous studies have been largely qualitative. Based on analyses of solifluction deposits, block streams, valley fills and slope forms, it is estimated that erosion reached about 3–9 m in south-west England, 9–10.5 m in south-central England and potentially more in East Anglia, though exact values are lacking. Continuous and discontinuous permafrost enhanced mass-wasting by promoting solifluction, with greater distances of sediment transport in the east than in the west. Chalk proved especially susceptible to frost disintegration and subsequent removal by water. The study stresses the difficulties of precise dating and highlights how lithology, slope morphology and local conditions strongly influenced the magnitude of erosion.
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