Evidence of palaeo-cirque glaciers in the Ewes Valley, southern Scotland

While glaciation in the English Lake District and the Scottish Highlands was extensive after the retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet, glaciers are thought to have been restricted to the highest uplands of southern Scotland. However, geomorphological features in the Ewes Valley indicate glacial activity in three amphitheater-shaped hollows after the retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. The geomorphological evidence of former glaciation is used to reconstruct the dimensions of three very small glaciers (totally ∼0.3 km²) with equilibrium line altitudes (ELA) between 329 and 401 m asl. An assessment of the glacier dimensions and potential snowblow contribution area indicates that redistribution of snow via wind was essential for the development of these glaciers.