Greenock Mains
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Quaternary of Scotland | Favourable | — | 2015-03-17 |
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Glacial
Description
GREENOCK MAINS Greenock Mains, lying 8km west of Sorn, demonstrates some of the best representative exposures in the glacial deposits of north Ayrshire dating from the last ice age, which ended 11,500 years ago. They show a layer of sand and gravel interbedded between two till horizons. The lower till and the sand and gravel represent, respectively, the classic shelly till and fluvioglacial deposits of the area, which were deposited by the Late Devensian (last) ice sheet as it melted sometime after approximately 18,000 years ago. The upper till, however, is unusual and may either reflect a local readvance of the ice sheet, or it may simply be part of a complex sequence of deposits that melted out from the ice during a single glacial episode. Greenock Mains is therefore an important reference site for glacial stratigraphy in south-west Scotland.