Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The narrow strip of land below the scarp of Rhossili Down is the prime example of a 'solifluction
bench' formed by large quantities of surface material sliding down the scarp at the end of the last glaci-
ation(Fig.20).Thisformedanapronwhichtheseahasnoweroded,formingalowcliffofloosematerial.
Similar examples occur at the foot of the limestone cliffs between Slade and Oxwich Point. The slopes
of the other Gower hills also have the appearance of having been affected by solifluction, with a smooth
flowingshapeandfewrockoutcrops.Onthesouth-facing outcropsoftheCarboniferous Limestone, frost
shattering and scree formation occurred and some glacial debris was deposited.
While it is clear that the ice covered the northeast of the peninsula, doubts remain about the precise
limit ofice inwest Gower.Mostofthe available evidence comes fromthe northern endofRhossili Down
where a large exposure of shelly gravels occurs. This material is thought to be the 'outwash' of an ice
sheet in Carmarthen Bay. Whiteford Point is a shingle ridge that may have originated as the remnants of
