Late Pleistocene Glacial History of the Carlingford Mountains

Abstract: The Carlingford Mountains (County Louth) of east-central Ireland are not well known in terms of their late Pleistocene glacial history. This field-based study uses observations from glacial sediments, the landforms and properties of bedrock surfaces to evaluate late Pleistocene ice flow patterns and dynamics in these mountains. This is supported by measurements of rock surface hardness using the Schmidt hammer method. Erosion mainly during ice advance is marked by a range of bedrock forms (including striae, whalebacks, roches mountonnées) found on bare rock surfaces in upland areas. Ice retreat is marked by the formation of moraines and outwash surfaces within valleys, but also by the deposition of erratic boulders on upland bedrock surfaces. Results from bedforms and weathering patterns suggest that the ice margin did not retreat uniformly across the Carlingford Mountains, but that Slievenaglogh (310m asl) was exposed earlier than Slieve Foye (588m asl), and ice that was present over the mountain tops likely interacted with the adjacent Dundalk Bay ice lobe to the south. Evidence from Schmidt hammer measurements, tors and scree reflects the dominance of cold-climate weathering processes in the evolution of this mountain landscape.