LATE PLEISTOCENE ENVIRONMENTS IN LOWER STRATHSPEY, SCOTLAND

Sedimentary sequences in lower Strathspey provide a record of Late Ple istocene interglacial and glacial environments. After deposition of ti ll and glacifluvial sediments, probably in Oxygen Isotope Stage 6, a s oil developed at Teindland and Redburn which contains downward translo cated pollen. This indicates that the earliest vegetation was woodland with grassland openings, Pinus-Alnus at Teindland and Alnus-Corylus a t Red Burn. Podzolisation of the soil ended with an influx of sands de rived from erosion of the surrounding slopes, at Teindland perhaps a r esponse to extensive burning during a grassland phase. The combined po llen and sedimentary evidence suggests events at the close of an inter glacial. Luminescence dates of 79 +/- 6 and 67 +/- 5 ka for the sands over the soil suggest that the soil developed in Oxygen Isotope Stage 5e. Overlying the soil and sands at Teindland are glacigenic debris fl ows, perhaps reflecting glaciation during Oxygen Isotope Stage 4. Thre e, undated, younger till units, with interbedded gravels, also occur i n the surrounding area and provide evidence of the complex glacial his tory of lower Strathspey since Oxygen Isotope Stage 5.