Journal article
The ‘lost’ islands of Cardigan Bay, Wales, UK: insights into the post-glacial evolution of some Celtic coasts of northwest Europe
- Abstract:
- A 13th –14th-century map held in the Bodleian Library (the Gough Map and the oldest map of Great Britain) shows two ‘lost’ islands in Cardigan Bay offshore west Wales, United Kingdom. This study investigates historical sources, alongside geological and bathymetric evidence, and proposes a model of post-glacial coastal evolution that provides an explanation for the ‘lost’ islands and a hypothetical framework for future research: (1) during the Pleistocene, Irish Sea ice occupied the area from the north and west, and Welsh ice from the east, (2) a landscape of unconsolidated Pleistocene deposits developed seaward of a relict pre-Quaternary cliffline with a land surface up to ca. 30 m above present sea-level, (3) erosion proceeded along the lines of a template provided by a retreating shoreline affected by Holocene sea-level rise, shore-normal rivers, and surface run-off from the relict cliffline and interfluves, (4) dissection established islands occupying cores of the depositional landscape, and (5) continued down-wearing, marginal erosion and marine inundation(s) removed the two remaining islands by the 16th century. Literary evidence and folklore traditions provide support in that Cardigan Bay is associated with the ‘lost’ lowland of Cantre’r Gwaelod. The model offers potential for further understanding post-glacial evolution of similar lowlands along northwest European coastlines.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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Access Document
- Files:
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(Preview, Accepted manuscript, 684.3KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.4138/atlgeo.2022.005
Authors
- Publisher:
- Atlantic Geoscience Society
- Journal:
- Atlantic Geoscience More from this journal
- Volume:
- 58
- Pages:
- 131-146
- Publication date:
- 2022-06-11
- Acceptance date:
- 2022-07-05
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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2564-2987
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1266525
- Local pid:
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pubs:1266525
- Deposit date:
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2022-07-04
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Atlantic Geoscience
- Copyright date:
- 2022
- Rights statement:
- All material contained in Atlantic Geology is copyrighted by the journal. Permission to photocopy for internal or personal use or for the internal or personal use of specific clients is granted by Atlantic Geology to libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), provided that the stated fee per copy is paid directly to the CCC, 21 Congress Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970 USA. Other requests should be addressed to one of the journal editors, or sent to Atlantic Geology, Box 116, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6. Permission to use a single graphic for which Atlantic Geology owns copyright is considered “fair dealing” under the Canadian Copyright Act and “fair use” by the journal, and no other permission need be granted, subject to the image being appropriately cited in all reproductions. The same fair dealing/fair use policy applies to sections of text up to 100 words in length.
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from Atlantic Geoscience Society at: https://doi.org/10.4138/atlgeo.2022.005
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