Studies of the post-Glacial History of British vegetation VII. Lake sediments: Pollen diagrams from the bottom deposits of the North Basin of Windermere

Abstract

Eight pollen diagrams from cores lying approximately on an east to west transect across the North Basin of Windermere and macroscopic plant remains identified from these cores are described and figured. The marginal cores show a well-developed late-glacial succession of two layers of barren laminated glacial clay, separated by a detritus silt containing plant remains which indicate a cold-temperate birch wood flora; it is suggested that this succession may be correlated with the Upper and LowerDryasclays separated by the cold-temperate Allerod layer of Continental authors. The post-glacial deposits, which are most completely represented in the deep-water cores, show similar phases of forest history to those already recognized in England and Wales, but the apparent over-representation ofPinusin deep-water deposits and the absence ofFagusandCarpinusintroduce complications into any attempt to apply to these deposits the zonation scheme worked out for the East Anglian fenland.