Only four major 100-ka glaciations during the Brunhes Chron?

Early attempts at land-sea correlations between continental glaciations and the marine delta(18)O record were premature without a high-resolution cont inental stratigraphy. Existing schemes of continental subdivision and corre lation-based facies floras and facies faunas do not provide the necessary r esolution. This paper reports on a new high-resolution subdivision and corr elation of the Pleistocene of the British Isles. Subdivision and correlatio n is accomplished primarily by aminostratigraphy based on aminozones which is calibrated by other geochronological means (U-series, TL, OSL, ESR, C-14 , palaeomagnetic and Cl-36 rock-exposure dating) for correlation with oxyge n isotope stratigraphy. These data are then used to test the hypotheses of Shackleton (1987) and Raymo (1997) that only four major glaciations occurre d in the Brunhes Chron: during oxygen isotope stages 16, 12, 6 and 2. Their hypotheses are confirmed except for stage 2, when at least part of the Bri tish ice sheet was at its maximum somewhat earlier during stages 4 and 3.