Abstract
The edited volume Landscapes and Landforms of Scotland within Springer’s World Geomorphological Landscapes Series is an attempt to provide, in one volume, an overview of the state of knowledge of the great, varying and – honestly – stunning geomorphological record of Scotland. Preceded by a foreword by Series editor Piotr Migoń, and put into context by none other than David Sugden in a preface that justifiably heaps lots of praise on all involved, this volume brings together 21 contributors. In 29 chapters, split into three sections, the reader is taken on an exploration of themes ranging from the geological processes that created the overall landscape types that make Scotland so variable, to the coastal evolution and geoheritage of Scotland. There is a truly mind-boggling breadth of geomorphological features for the reader to discover and explore!
Following an editorial introduction to the theme of this volume that attempts to put it into an historical context, an introductory block (Part 1) explores the Physical Environment in four chapters. These chapters set the scene by giving an overview of key topics relevant to understanding the regional chapters that form Part 2 and – to a lesser extent – the single chapter (plus a correction) that forms Part 3 on geoconservation/geoheritage.
Part 1 starts by exploring the themes of geological foundations and landscape evolution through time. Given that Scotland has a long history of seminal and, at times, literally ground-breaking discoveries (e.g. the Moine Thrust in the NW), this chapter provides the necessary context for those familiarising themselves with Scottish geomorphology. This is followed by a chapter on the long-term denudation history and landscape evolution, that is, between the Caledonian orogeny and the early Quaternary. The third chapter, on the Quaternary, lays the groundwork for the understanding of the detailed landform record and its genetic interpretation presented in each of the chapters in Part 2. This is achieved by reviewing the stratigraphical evidence of former glaciations and evidence of interglacials and interstadials throughout the Quaternary, recent insights from numerical modelling, as well as processes operating throughout the Holocene in the last six pages of the chapter. Chapter 5, the final chapter of Part 1, is dedicated to active surface processes, and this is perhaps the most useful and holistically relevant chapter for readers of The Holocene up to this point in the volume.
Part 2 contains the bulk of the chapters (23 in number) and presents a selection of classic areas of geomorphological (and Quaternary scientific) interest. Highlights here include a superb review chapter by Adrian Palmer on the world-famous and equally complex ‘Parallel Roads of Glen Roy’ (a lake system repeatedly dammed up by ice during the Loch Lomond Stadial) and one by Heather Stewart et al. on the wealth of geomorphological evidence on the continental shelf, which would otherwise remain invisible to any visitor without a submarine. Most of the chapters follow a tried-and-tested chronological structure, beginning with events and geomorphological evidence predating the last glaciation, the last glaciation itself, the lateglacial interstadial, the renewed (?) glaciation during the Loch Lomond Stadial (broadly equivalent to the Younger Dryas) and events leading into and covering the Holocene, respectively. These chronological parts are followed by sections on particular glacial, periglacial and other (e.g. coastal) landforms of interest in the particular region each chapter focuses on. For readers of The Holocene, it will be important to know that, depending on the region, the review of the last 11.7 ka takes up a few pages towards the end of many chapters or is scattered through the landform sections. The focus on glacial and periglacial processes across much of the volume is due to the fact that the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas) was the last significant time period during which the largest parts of Scotland were actively (re-)shaped.
Most chapters in Part 2 cover larger geographical regions (e.g. the Central and Eastern Grampian Highlands, Orkney, Shetland), while others are very focused on more recent, specific process-form regimes (e.g. two chapters on beaches and dunes) that will be highly relevant for readers of The Holocene; yet other chapters focus on particular features restricted to specific regions (e.g. a palaeosurface in Buchan, an area broadly north of Aberdeen; glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine landforms in the Midland Valley, the geological province that contains the biggest cities, including Edinburgh and Glasgow).
Part 3 consists of a single chapter on geoheritage and, while this is a relevant topic, this chapter appears as somewhat of an after-thought; in line with the rest of the volume, perhaps presenting a case study or two would have given this part the weight this undoubtedly deserves.
The entire volume is beautifully illustrated with lots of clear maps, photographs and diagrams. While most illustrations have been compiled from existing publications, the photographs have been specifically selected by the chapter authors to highlight and emphasise particularly spectacular examples to enthuse the reader. Equally, all chapters, while necessarily selective in the work cited due to the sheer volume of (in this context geomorphological and Quaternary) research conducted in Scotland, serve as great starting points for anyone wishing to embark on a more detailed exploration of the science behind the stunning landscapes and landforms presented in this volume.
The editors have done a superb job of collating the many chapters that make up this volume, while contributing to a large amount of them (15 chapters, that is over 50%, contain at least one of the two editors as the lead or a co-author). The production quality of the entire volume is extremely high which makes each chapter a pleasure to read. A small critical note has to be attached, however: Apart from a small subsection of the author collective, and with a few notable exceptions, this effort involves mainly well-seasoned contributors after or nearing retirement, with less than 15% being women. This imbalance does not reflect the geomorphological community that has worked in Scotland over the last two decades, and from the foreword it appears that many of those academics who have completed their PhDs and postdoctoral projects in the last decade have merely been allowed to serve as chapter reviewers. This is puzzling, because many remain research-active in Scotland and have advanced our collective understanding of the Scottish Quaternary landscape evolution and climatic significance of the geomorphological legacy. As a result, and perhaps also because the volume follows earlier similar ‘recipes’ in structure and approach, what is packaged as the ‘current’ state of the art in the foreword does at times not feel that much different from – or ‘ground-breaking’ compared to – earlier volumes on the geomorphology and Quaternary history of Scotland.
Despite this caveat, this volume will still be a valuable addition to university or personal libraries and serve as a great first introduction to delve deeper into the broad and fascinating research history of the geomorphological legacy preserved in Scotland. Readers of The Holocene will find several chapters that mainly deal with Holocene active processes and landforms particularly helpful in this endeavour. As individual chapters can be downloaded as single pdfs at a dedicated chapter-price, I hope this review helps readers with the selection of those chapters that may be most relevant to their interests.