The full programme book (PDF) - Royal Geographical Society

T5
Glacial Landsystems Working Group (GLWG): 15 years of field based research
meetings on palaeoglaciological reconstruction
D.J.A. Evans 1 *, D.H. Roberts 1 and C.R. Stokes 1
1 Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE
GLWG was founded in 1998 by a group of glacial geomorphologists and sedimentologists
interested in advancing our understanding of palaeoglaciological reconstruction in Britain
and Ireland whilst simultaneously providing an outlet for the dissemination of results from
ongoing landsystem style field investigations (e.g. Eyles 1983; Evans 2003). GLWG was a
QRA working group from 2009-2012, but is an informal organization acting as a catalyst
for research on landform/sediment associations and their application to glaciated
landscapes. Dissemination of ongoing research material is undertaken during short field
meetings at various locations in glaciated Britain and Ireland, focussing on critical sites
and also often featuring short seminars and poster sessions, encouraging in particular the
contributions of the postgraduate community. GLWG aims to provide a catalyst for
constructive discussion on glaciated basins as they pertain to the glacial record, using the
landsystems concept as a framework for holistic assessments of glacial
sediment/landform associations and enabling the synthesis of data across a range of
scales. Previous meetings have been held in SW Scotland (cross-cutting subglacial
bedforms and ice-marginal landforms), west Wales (Irish Sea/Welsh ice sheet
interactions), East Yorkshire (subaqueous fan and sub-marginal tills of the North Sea
lobe), Kells in Ireland (subglacial bedforms and ice-marginal subaqueous deposits), North
Pennines (subglacial bedforms), Northumberland (subglacial and ice-marginal
sedimentation), South Loch Lomond (sub-marginal and ice-contact subaquaeous
landform-sediment assemblages), north Norfolk (sedimentology and glacitectonics at the
Anglian ice sheet margin), North Pennines/Solway Lowlands (cross-cutting subglacial
bedforms, glacial stratigraphy and ice sheet dynamics), Durham and Yorkshire coast
(North Sea lobe glacial sedimentology), Anglesey (subglacial bedform development in
hard bedrock terrain), North Norfolk (glacitectonics workshop), Scottish Borders (Younger
Dryas glaciation of the Tweedsmuir Hills), and the Cheshire-Shropshire lowlands (ice
sheet marginal landform-sediment assemblages). Since its inception GLWG has not only
organized field meetings but has also co-hosted: 1) the Ice Marginal Landsystems
Conference at Keele (2000; see special edition of Sedimentary Geology (Evans & Russell
2002); 2) a special session at INQUA 2007 on Modern analogues for Quaternary
palaeoglaciology (see special edition of Quaternary Science Reviews, Evans 2009); 3) a
special session at INQUA 2011 on Spatial and temporal change in glacial landsystems:
implications for Quaternary palaeoglaciology; 4) the QRA Glacitectonics Workshop and
field meeting 2011 (Phillips et al. 2011); 5) the INQUA Palaeo-ice streams symposium
2001 (Clark et al 2003); 6) the QRA field meetings in the Solway Lowlands (Livingstone et
al. 2010) and Northumberland/Durham/N Yorkshire (Davies et al 2013).
Keywords: Glacial landsystems; palaeoglaciology
Clark C.D., Evans D.J.A. & Piotrowski J.A. (2003) Palaeo-Ice Streams. Boreas 32. Davies B.J., Yorke L.,
Bridgland D.R. & Roberts D.H. (2013) The Quaternary of Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire. QRA,
London. Evans D.J.A. (ed.) 2003. Glacial Landsystems. Arnold, London.
Evans D.J.A. 2009. Special theme: Modern analogues in Quaternary palaeoglaciological reconstruction.
Quaternary Science Reviews 28, 181-182.
Evans D.J.A. & Russell A.J. 2002. Modern and Ancient Ice-marginal Landsystems. Sedimentary Geology 149,
Issues 1-3.
Eyles N. (ed.) 1983. Glacial Geology – A Landsystem Approach. Pergamon, Oxford.Livingstone S.J., Evans
D.J.A. & Ó Cofaigh C. (eds.) (2010) The Quaternary of the Solway Lowlands and Pennine Escarpment – Field
Guide. QRA, London: 154p.
Phillips E.R., Lee J.R. & Evans H.M. 2011. Glacitectonics – Field Guide. QRA, London.