View of Glen Rosa, Brodick, Arran, Bute


Excellent example of a U-shaped valley which has been gouged out to this shape by the action of glaciers. The slopes on either side of the valley are covered by a thin layer of soliflucted scree and soil. Of course, the burn presently occupying the valley is completely out of scale to the size of the feature. Note corries on the skyline.

Scotland, and indeed a large part of the northern hemisphere, has experienced several glaciations over the last 100,000+ years. This has profoundly modified the landscape, with extensive erosion of the highland areas giving rise to corries, cirques, U-shaped valleys etc. In the lowlands, there was equal, or more extensive deposition of boulder clay, moraines, erratic blocks, sand and gravel, varved clays (in glacial lakes), as well as the moulding of the landscape into drumlins, roches moutonnees etc. Sediments deposited offshore also preserve a record of the various waxing and waning phases during this period.

SCRAN ID: 000-000-147-187-C; British Geological Survey