New Data on the Relief Development of the South Shetland Islands,Antarctica

Abstract

During several expeditions to the Antarctic Peninsula and the neighbouring islands, samples were collected from different sediments which contained datable materials or which were datable with new techniques. Thus it became possible to develop, together with our geomorphic field data, some new ideas on relief development at the rim of the Antarctic continent as well as on the glacial history of the area studied.

Planation surfaces in this area seem to be fairly old. For example, the prominent marine erosion surface on Fildes Peninsula, 35–45 m above mean sea level, is probably older than 85 000 years – older than the last interglacial period and the penultimate glaciation. All Holocene beaches, which are situated between 20 m and the present coastline, were formed during the last 6000 years.

Before 6000 BP the islands were still completely glaciated. The breakdown of the ice cover to nearly the present extent must have been extremely abrupt, taking no more than 1000 years (6000 to 5000 BP). Between 3000 and 1000 BP there were at least two re-advances. These advances were restricted to the prominent outlet glaciers, which followed pre-existing valleys.     

The coastal landslides of Shetland

Little is known of hard-rock coastal landsliding in Scotland. We identify 128 individual coastal landslides or landslide complexes >50 m wide along the coasts of Shetland. Most are apparently translational slides characterized by headscarps, displaced blocks and/or debris runout, but 13 deep-seated failures with tension cracks up to 200 m inland from cliff crests were also identified. Thirty-one sites exhibit evidence of at least localized recent activity. Landslide distribution is primarily determined by the distribution of coastal cliffs >30 m high, and they are preferentially developed on metasedimentary rocks. Analysis of 16 landslides on Fetlar (NE Shetland) indicates that most are translational dip-slip failures; 3 represent deep-seated failures and several exhibit active frontal erosion attributable to basal sapping by storm waves. As these landslides terminate in shallow water, failure was probably initiated when rising sea level resulted in footslope erosion and upslope propagation of instability, causing downslope displacement of landslide blocks on upper slopes. ¹⁰Be exposure dating of two headscarps yielded ages of 4.8?±?0.2 ka and 4.4?±?0.2 ka, consistent with the onset of footslope erosion as sea level rose. Our results suggest that landslides have played a hitherto undocumented but important role in retreat of cliffed coastlines in Scotland.     

Timothy Pont's map of Shetland

The Dialect and Place‐Names of Shetland. Two Popular Lectures. By Jakob Jakobsen, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Copenhagen. Lerwick: T. and J. Manson, 1897.

Three Years in Savage Africa. By Lionel Dècle. With an Introduction by H. M. Stanley, M.P. With 100 Illustrations and five Maps, from original Photographs, Sketches, and Surveys by the Author. London: Methuen and Co., 1898. Pp. 503. Two Appendices and Index. 21s.

Hindu Manners, Customs, and Ceremonies. By the Abbe J. A. Dubois. Translated from the Author's later French ms. and edited by Henry K. Beau‐champ. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1897.

L'Algérie. Par Maurice Wahl, Docteur ès lettres, Inspecteur‐Général honoraire de l'Instruction publique aux Colonies. 3^ème édition, revue et augmentée. Paris: Félix Alcan, 1897. Pp. 442. Price 5 Frs.

L'Italie: Géographique, Ethnologique, Historique, Administrative, Economique, Beligieuse, Littéraire, Artistique, Scientifique, etc. Paris: Larousse, 1897. Pp. 608. Price 5 fr.

The Pioneers of the Klondyke: being an Account of two years’ Police Service on the Yukon. Narrated by M. H. E. Hayne, N.C.O. of the N‐W. Mounted Police, and recorded by H. West Taylor. London: Sampson Low, Marston, and Co., 1897. Pp. xii + 184. Price 3s. 6d.

The Gold Fields of the Klondike. Fortune‐Seekers’ Guide to the Yukon Begion of Alaska and British America. By John W. Leonard. London: T. Fisher Unwin, N.D. Pp. 216. Price 2s. 6d.

Imperial Defence. By Lieut.‐Col. Sir George S. Clarke, K.C.M.G., F.E.S. London: The Imperial Press, Limited, N.D. Pp. xv + 251. Price 5s. net.

With Nature and a Camera: being the Adventures and Observations of a Field Naturalist and an Animal Photographer. By Richard Kearton, F.Z.S., Author of British Birds’ Nests; Birds’ Nests, Eggs, and Egg‐collecting, etc. Illustrated by 180 Pictures from Photographs, by Cherry Kearton. 8vo. London, Paris, and Melbourne: Cassell and Co., Lim., 1897. Pp. xvi + 368.

La Face de la Tern (Das Antlitz der Erde). Par Ed. Suess. Traduit avec l'autorisation de l'auteur et annoté sous la direction de Emmanuel de Margerie avec une préface par Marcel Bertrand, de l'Académie des Sciences, Professeur à l'École nationale supérieure des Mines. Tome I^r, avec 2 cartes en couleur et 122 figures dont 76 exécutées spécialement pour l'édition française. Paris: Armand Colin et C^ie., 1897. Pp. 835 + xv.

Anthropologische Studien über die Urbewohner Brasiliens, vornehmlich der Staaten Matto Grosso, Goyaz, und Amazonas (Purus‐Gebiet). Nach eigenen Aufnahmen und Beobachtungen in den Jahren 1887 bis 1889, von Dr. Paul Ehrenreich, Berlin. Mit zahlreichen Abbildungen und Tafeln. Braunschweig: Druck und Verlag von Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, 1897. Pp. 165. Bibliography and 30 plates, 96 in text and 9 plates of vertex curves. Price 25 M.

Kleinasiens’ Naturschätze, Seine wichtigsten Tiere, Kulturpftanzen und Mineral‐schätze. Von Karl Kannenberg. Berlin: Bornträger, 1897. Pp. xii + 278. Price M. 14.

Thessalien und Epirus: Reisen und Forschungen im nördlichen Oriechenland. Von Dr. Alfred Philippson. Berlin: W. H. Kühle, 1897.

North America. Vol. I.—Canada and Newfoundland. By Samuel Edward Dawson, Litt.D. (Laval), F.R.S.C. Stanford's Compendium of Geography and Travel (new issue). London: Edward Stanford, 1897. Pp. xxiv + 719. Price 15s.

Geografia Commercial de la America del Sur. Por Carlos B. Cisneros y Romulo E. Garcia. Entregas 1 y 2. Lima: Imprenta de la Escuela de Ingerieros, 1897. Pp. 100.

Egypt. Handbook for Travellers. Edited by Karl Baedeker. 4th Eemodelled Edition. Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, 1898. Pp. cciv + 395. Price 15 M.

Spain and Portugal. Handbook for Travellers. By Karl Baedeker. Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, 1898. Pp. lxxxvi + 618. Price 16 M.

Ceylon. Von Emil Schmidt (Leipzig). Mit 39 Bildern und 1 Karte. Berlin: Schall und Grund, 1897. Pp. 323 + viii.

A. Hartleben's Kleines Statistisches Taschenbuch über alle Lander der Erde. Nach den neuesten Angaben bearbeitet von Professor Dr. Friedeich Umlauft. Wien, Pest, Leipzig: A. Hartleben's Verlag, 1898. Pp. 98.

Verhandlungen des Zwölften Deutschen Geographentages zu Jena, 1897. Heraus‐gegeben von dem ständigen Geschäftsführer des Centralausschusses des Deutschen Geographentages, Georg Kollm, Hauptmann, a.d. Berlin: Verlag von Dietrich Reimer (Ernst Vohsen), 1897. Pp. lviii + 252.     

Palaeoenvironments, the archaeological record and cereal pollen detection at Clickimin, Shetland, Scotland

The Loch of Clickimin, Shetland, is well known for its broch and associated monuments supposedly of the Bronze and Iron Ages, although the former date is disputed. Pollen, diatom and sedimentological investigations permit fresh insights into the landscape and economic impacts of those who constructed the monuments, reveal that the environs of the site experienced environmental change from Neolithic times onward and provide the first Holocene radiocarbon dates from the immediate locality. The broch-building period witnessed a continuation of pre-existing pastoral husbandry for which heather burning may have exacerbated the natural spread of blanket peat. Initially, no evidence was adduced for local arable activity in the present investigation, and this was thought to be consistent possibly with the low numbers of excavated querns and the absence of cereal macrofossil finds when compared with other Shetland broch sites. The application of ‘rapid scanning’ techniques, however, led to the discovery of a consistent cereal-type pollen representation from Bronze Age times onwards. The discrepancies between the palaeoenvironmental evidence and the environmental and palaeoeconomic inferences made by the excavator of the site are explored. Evidence is presented that both supports and contradicts previous assumptions surrounding an important archaeological site.     

The Potential for Dating the Old Scatness Site,Shetland, By Optically Stimulated Luminescence

A series of deposits from the agricultural infield of the multiperiod settlement mound, Old Scatness, were investigated for their potential to yield optically stimulated luminescence dates. Luminescence properties of quartz grains were found to vary through the sequence, but dates were successfully obtained from five deposits, including anthropogenic soils, windblown sands and sands within midden deposits. Single‐aliquot equivalent dose measurement was found to be the most appropriate method for dating the deposits. The OSL dates obtained accorded well with the dates provided by archaeological evidence and included the post‐medieval, Iron Age, Bronze Age and Neolithic periods of Shetland, while a substantial midden was dated to the Bronze/Iron Age transition.     

A Late Holocene Tsunami at Basta Voe,Yell, Shetland Isles

A distinctive sand layer enclosed within Holocene peat is described from Basta Voe, Isle of Yell, Shetland Isles. The sand layer, that can be traced considerable distances inland and up to a maximum altitude of c. + 9 m OD, is here interpreted as having been deposited by a former tsunami. AMS dating appears to indicate that the tsunami occurred between 1300 – 1570 cal years BP. At present, the tsunami has no known source mechanism although the most likely mechanism is thought to have been an offshore slump or slide. The available information would presently seem to indicate that this tsunami was restricted to the eastern coastline of Shetland. The relatively young age of this inferred tsunami is of considerable importance to planners and engineers concerned with estimating coastal flood frequency and magnitude.     

Joined-Up Archaeology at Old Scatness,Shetland: Thin Section Analysis of the Site and Hinterland

Abstract

Excavations on the multi-period settlement at Old Scatness, Shetland have uncovered a number of Iron Age structures with compacted, floor-like layers. Thin section analysis was undertaken in order to investigate and compare the characteristics of these layers. The investigation also draws on earlier analyses of the Iron Age agricultural soil around the settlement and the midden deposits that accumulated within the settlement, to create a 'joined-up' analysis which considers the way material from the settlement was used and then recycled as fertiliser for the fields. Peat was collected from the nearby uplands and was used for fuel and possibly also for flooring. It is suggested that organic-rich floors from the structures were periodically removed and the material was spread onto the fields as fertilisers. More organic-rich material may have been used selectively for fertiliser, while the less organic peat ash was allowed to accumulate in middens. Several of the structures may have functioned as byres, which suggests a prehistoric plaggen system.     

The integration of chronological and archaeological information to date building construction: an example from Shetland,Scotland, UK

This paper presents new chronological data applied to the problem of providing a date for the construction of a prehistoric building, with a case study from the Old Scatness Broch, Shetland. The innovative methodology employed utilises the combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates with the archaeological information, which includes the stratigraphic relationships of sampled deposits, context information, and evidence relating to the formation of the deposit. This paper discusses the scientific validity of the dates produced, and the advantages that the methodology employed at this site offers for archaeological interpretation. The combined dating evidence suggests that the broch at Old Scatness is earlier than the conventionally accepted dates for broch construction. More broadly it shows the value of integration of the specialists at the planning stages of the excavation. The application of a Bayesian statistical model to the sequences of dates allowed investigation of the robustness of the dates within the stratigraphic sequences, as well as increasing the resolution of the resulting chronology. In addition, the value of utilising multiple dating techniques on the same deposit was demonstrated, as this allowed different dated events to be directly compared as well as issues relating to the formation of the sampled deposit. This in turn impacted on the chronological significance of the resulting dating evidence, and therefore the confidence that could be placed in the results.     

Analysis of the Size,Shape, and Modeled Age of Common Limpets (Patella vulgata) from Late Norse Middens at Sandwick,Unst, Shetland Islands,UK: Evidence for Anthropogenic and Climatic Impacts

Zooarchaeological faunal remains are commonly examined to investigate harvesting behavior. We determined limpet (Patella vulgata) shell size and shape, and estimated shell age from several middens at the Late Norse Sandwick South Site, Unst, Shetland, UK, whose strata represent distinct occupational phases (Phase 1: AD 1100–1200, Phase 2: AD 1200–1250, Phase 3: AD 1250–1350). Our goal was to determine if the many limpets found there could provide insight into Norse harvesting behavior. Shell length, conicity, and modeled age all declined between Phases 1 and 2, suggesting intensive, size-selective harvesting of limpets and a shift to harvesting lower in the intertidal zone between phases. Length and conicity varied in Phases 2 and 3 and no major changes seem to have occurred over these periods, indicating that harvesting maintained the limpet population at an impacted level throughout the later phases. The conicity decline between Phases 1 and 2 may also have been caused by increased storminess that accompanied the onset of the Little Ice Age. The mean length of modern limpet populations near the Norse site did not differ from the archaeological phases, but did vary among collection years. Limpets were 26% larger in 2015 than in 2012 and 2013, indicating that large interannual variations in population structure can occur over short time periods. Potentially the result of extreme storms removing small limpets, this result raises the possibility that size and conicity changes during the Sandwick South Site occupation, as well as in other early populations, could also be the result of environmental factors rather than human harvesting alone. We feel, however, that the most parsimonious explanation for the patterns we document is human harvesting.     

The Sheep Project (1): determining skeletal growth,timing of epiphyseal fusion and morphometric variation in unimproved Shetland sheep of known age,sex, castration status and nutrition

The Sheep Project was designed to investigate the effects of castration, breeding age and nutritional plane on bone growth, epiphyseal fusion, tooth eruption and tooth wear in sheep. The project investigates a population of 356 unimproved Shetland sheep skeletons evenly distributed between females bred at different ages, males and castrates, raised on either high or low nutritional planes. This first instalment focuses on two aspects of our larger study, namely bone growth and epiphyseal fusion as affected by sex, castration and nutrition. Nutrition, sex and castration are shown to influence bone growth in ways that are often element-dependant and not consistent through time. We demonstrate that metric variability (variance) is strongest in males, with little difference between females and castrates, and that, in our sample, nutrition has little influence on variance in any sex cohort. Of importance to the development of models of past animal management this study demonstrates that the standard epiphyseal fusion ranges used by zooarchaeologists are too narrow in most instances and do not account for the large variation between sexes or the lesser variation between planes of nutrition. We recommend methods for recognizing castration and the presence of more than one sheep breed, or type, within the zooarchaeological record.