~ } Pergamon

QuaternaryScienceReviews,Vol. 16, pp. 685-703, 1997.

© 1997Elsevier ScienceLtd.
All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain
PII: S0277-3791(97)00016-4 0277-3791/97 $32.00

G L A C I O L A C U S T R I N E A N D G L A C I O F L U V I A L DEPOSITS DEFINING THE

M A R G I N S OF U N C O U P L I N G ICE LOBES IN THE S O U T H E A S T E R N
M I D L A N D S OF IRELAND

CLARE GLANVILLE*t
*Dept. of Geography, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
tQuaternary and Geotechnical Section, Geological Survey of Ireland, Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin
4, Ireland (E-mail: glanvilc@tec.irlgov.ie)

Abstract - - The deglacial landscape in the region of the Curragh of Kildare, in the south-eastern
Midlands of Ireland, is dominated by glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits including
subaqueous fan, esker and glaciofluvial outwash sediments. These are frequently overlain by a
diamicton of local origin. Preliminary analyses on the sediments in the region suggest that there
QSR
were two ice margins, from which glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments were deposited in an
ice marginal lake. The spatial relationships between deglacial deposits and the interpreted
depositional environment suggest the separation of retreating ice margins. It is likely that the
margins were those of two ice lobes linked to the same ice sheet and that the sediments were
deposited into an interlobate lake that formed during deglaciation. The former ice margin positions
are indicated by the location of proglacial ice contact sediments close to the Curragh. These take the
form of subaqueous fans. At a late stage, the ice margins re-advanced over the glaciolacustrine
sediments reworking the surface gravels, disturbing the lower sediments by faulting and shearing,
and finally depositing the re-worked gravels as an overlying gravelly diamicton. © 1997 Elsevier
Science Ltd

INTRODUCTION of interglacial pollen at Ardcavan, Co. Wexford, and

This study examines deglacial deposits and ice margin-
al movement in the Irish Midlands at the end of the last
glacial period. Ice marginal limits and processes of ice
decay have until recently been based on morpho-
stratigraphic interpretations of the Irish Quaternary
deposits (Synge, 1952; McCabe, 1987). The well
established interpretation is that ice covered Ireland from
a central dome positioned in the north Midlands and with
its axis oriented northeast to southwest close to Donegal
and Antrim (Charlesworth, 1928). In this model two
phases of glaciation are assumed to be separated by an
interglacial period, the deposits of which have not so far
been identified (the so called "hidden interregnum" of
Mitchell, 1976). This model is based on loose morpho-
stratigraphic principles. The first phase of glaciation had
an ice limit south of the present Irish coastline, while the
extent of the more recent glaciation is marked by the
Southern Irish End Moraine (SIEM) (Charlesworth,
1928), a series of moraines pieced together across the
south of Ireland. The sediments, based on their morpho-
logical expression, were correlated with glacial periods in
England. The SIEM was correlated with the limit of the
'Newer drift' in England (Charlesworth, 1928). Mitchell
(1948) identified two glaciations on the basis of evidence
685
Farrington (1949) correlated these two glaciations with
the 'older' and 'younger' drifts in England. Interglacial
muds at Gort (Jessen et al., 1959) were correlated with the
Hoxnian of England. Many Quaternary geologists based
Irish stratigraphic models on these correlations, regardless
of the fact that the pollen at Ardcavan was proven to be
postglacial (Colhoun and Mitchell, 1971). There is no
evidence to suggest that the tills south of the SIEM are
older than those north of it (Bowen, 1973). Also there are
strong reasons to suggest that the interglacial sediments at
Gort are last interglacial in age and not earlier (Warren,
1979). A review of Irish stratigraphic models led Warren
(1985) to redefine the stratigraphic basis of the Last Cold
Stage (Oxygen Isotope Stages 4-2) in Ireland and to
rename it the Fenitian. The Fenitian includes all the
deposits since the last known interglacial, the Gortian
(referred to Oxygen Isotope Stage 5e), and does not try to
correlate them with the British stratigraphic units.
More recently lithofacies analysis and interpretations
of sedimentary assemblages have led to the interpretation
of several ice domes centred in different parts of Ireland
that coalesced with one another producing a complex ice-
flow pattern (Warren, 1992) (Fig. 1). Synge (1970) had
shown some evidence for the shifting of ice centres
during glaciation suggesting a changing dominance of ice
686 Quaternary Seience Reviews: VoLume 16
Discharge outlets
General direction of ice flow
Form lines outlining dome and shape
FIG. 1. Schematic diagram of multiple ice domes at the maximum of the last glaciation in Ireland (from Warren and Ashley,
1994).
bodies in relation to one another. Three ice sheets were
interpreted by Warren (1991), which relate to the Fenitian
glaciation and its diversity of sedimentary types and
structures (Warren, 1985): a 'general Irish ice sheet',
centred in the north Midlands; an ice sheet occupying the
Irish sea basin; and a separate Kerry ice cap. The extent of
these ice bodies was determined by the distribution of
erratics and the variety in striation orientations as well as
a reconsideration of the composite moraine previously
described as the SIEM (Warren, 1991). A recent re-
interpretation of glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine depos-
its in the Irish midlands and in the west of Ireland
(Warren and Ashley, 1994) supports and strengthens the
interpretation of multiple ice domes in Ireland. The
distribution of glaciolacustrine deposits in association
I I I
0 50 100
Kilometres
with the eskers of the Midlands indicates the development
a large ice-marginal interdomal lake during deglaciation
(Warren and Ashley, 1994).
The interpretation of deposits in the Irish Midlands has
been important to the development of the multiple dome
theory. In the light of this theory, the deposits in Mid-
Kildare are re-examined. The deposits in Mid-Kildare
have previously (Charlesworth, 1928, 1973) been de-
scribed as proglacial outwash gravels from an ice margin
retreating northwards with meltwater drainage south-
wards through the present River Barrow drainage system.
The sediments were not examined in any detail as the
processes were seen to be straightforward and easily
explained. Cohen (1979) studied the sediments in some
detail recognising several source points for sediment
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland
input not all originating in the north. Most of Cohen's
published research (Cohen, 1979) was concentrated on
the extensive sand and gravel deposits around Blessington
relating to deglaciation in that area (an area to the east of
and adjacent to county Kildare). A basic level of
observational and descriptive data were recorded relating
to glacial deposits in the study area by various officers of
the Geological Survey of Ireland. These data were
recorded as part of the original bedrock geology mapping
programmes in the late 1800s (Jukes et al., 1859, 1860;
Du Noyer, 1860; Kinahan, 1880, 188l). In the 1970s,
parts of Kildare were mapped by field geologists
(O'Meara and Farrington) for the Geological Survey of
Ireland; these maps were not published.
The research on which this paper is based involved:
preliminary mapping of the Quaternary deposits from
exposures and borehole drilling logs (Marathon Mining,
1986) and trenches used to evaluate sediment distribution
patterns and the sedimentology of the deposits. Hypoth-
eses regarding formation and glacial history were
constructed. The hypotheses considered were: The
sediments were deposited by a single ice sheet; the
sediments are contemporaneous; the sediments describe
processes of deglaciation by which inter-lobate deposits
formed. Several sites were chosen for detailed sedimen-
tological analyses to test the hypotheses.
The objectives of this paper are to describe and
interpret recently exposed sediments in the area of the
Curragh (Co. Kildare, Ireland), to identify the deglacial
processes during deposition and to infer from these
movement of ice margins in the Irish Midlands during
deglaciation.
STUDY SITE
The Curragh (a geographical region) is located in
County Kildare on the south-eastern margin of the
Midlands of Ireland (Fig. 2). The county is bounded to
the west by the River Barrow and to the east by the
Wicklow Mountains. The River Liffey flows along the
eastern margin of the Curragh. The research area
comprises approximately 80 km 2, extending east from
Kildare town to the River Liffey, and south from the chair
of Kildare to Ballysax. The research area is located
immediately west of the Wicklow Mountains, about
48 km southwest of Dublin and 56 km inland from the
east coast.
The Curragh, an area approximately 10 km long and
8 km wide, is a landscape composed of glaciofluvial and
glaciolacustrine sands and gravels. The margins of the
Curragh are marked by ice-marginal glaciofluvial and
glaciolacustrine sediments. The Curragh gravels form a
raised plateau approximately 20 m above the surrounding
land to the south, east and west.
The Curragh is underlain by Carboniferous Limestone.
Immediately to the north of the Curragh is the Kildare
Inlier (the 'chair of Kildare'), an anticlinal ridge of
porphyritic volcanic and sandstone bedrock of Devonian
age. The Wicklow Mountains to the east are dominated
687
by a granite pluton intruded into Lower Palaeozoic slates
and shales and a mica-schist aureole approximately
15 km wide formed on emplacement of the pluton into
the country rock (Fig. 3) (Hitzman, 1992).
METHODS
The methods used in this study were collective,
descriptive and analytical. Field mapping involved the
plotting and .logging of sediment exposures, sampling
sediments and describing landforms sedimentologically
and geomorphologically, the identification of sediment
boundaries, as well as the collection of raw data from
field observations. This approach is based on the direct
observation of surface sediments in the field.
Stereoscopic interpretation of aerial photographs was
used to map morphology and to indicate some sediment
boundaries. The aerial photographs used were the
Geological Survey of Ireland 1:30,000 scale 1973 vertical
series, which are black and white prints. Trenching was
carried out using a J C B back loader digger, with a 0.9 m
bucket in areas where pre-existing exposure was poor.
The trenches were dug to a depth of 2-3 m and a length of
3 m, the dimensions of the trench were dependent on
sediment type and stability.
A number of electrical resistivity surveys was carried
out by the Geological Survey of Ireland to investigate the
Quaternary geology in areas of the Curragh Plain where
no exposure occurs and trenching was not possible. These
surveys provided depth to bedrock information in areas
where existing data are scarce, and also provided
information on Quaternary sediments. The resistivity
results do not identify sediments but can distinguish
between different sediment types. Bedrock depths are
clearly indicated by resistivity surveys.
The analytical methods used were sedimentological
and were carried out at specific locations after both initial
field mapping and the identification of deposit distribu-
tion patterns; they were, (a) systematic facies analyses,
(b) fabric analyses, (c) particle size analyses, and (d)
petrographical analyses.
Systematic facies analysis as described by Miall (1977)
was used to show vertical and horizontal changes in the
sedimentology and establish depositional sedimentary
environments. Facies codes used are listed in Table 1. As
part of the detailed study of the Curragh, several
exposures were carefully logged and sketched to scale.
Major beds and facies changes were identified and
described. Detailed sedimentary logs were also recorded
at two to three locations on each section.
Fabric analyses were used to establish source directions
for the deposition of sediments. Since palaeo-flow
directions in glaciofluvial sediments can vary in intensity
and direction, it is difficult to rely on an individual sample
to indicate flow direction, therefore several samples were
measured. The method of analysis used to measure clast
orientations was based on the principles outlined by
Andrews (1971) for till fabric analyses, which have been
modified for other sediment types. The results were
688 Quaternary Science Reviews: Volume 16

CO. KILDARE

J
oNaas /

Monaster~
D6n Aillinne

Towns
6
Hills

Rivers
Athy*~I
County
/ Boundary

N
LOCATION
Ca tlSde mot f MAP r~-~,_.~-,

T km Co. Carlow
~4~ )~'- ' )
~j 2r

0 13 / . (

SOURCE, Soil Survey of Kildare

FIG. 2. Location map of County Kildare indicating major waterways, hills and place names used in the text. The Curragh, an
Irish name for a flat open area, is illustrated.

analysed and displayed on Schmidt polar net diagrams.
Twenty-five (25) clasts were measured in each sample,
Quickplot (Version 1)®, a DOS-based computer package,
was used to calculate the statistics and to plot the stereonet
diagrams for these analyses (van Everdingen et al., 1992).
Sediment samples were wet sieved using standard
geotechnical sieve sizes. The results were plotted on
cumulative graphs of grain size against percentage of
sample. This provides an indication of texture and allows
the particle size distributions of sediments in deposits to
be compared quantitatively with samples from similar
deposits in the region. The results can then be used to
c a t e g o r i s e s e d i m e n t types based on their textural
similarity.
Petrographic analyses provided information on source
localities for sediments by the identification of erratics
and dominant petrographic types. Stone counts were done
on the clast size retained between sieves 10 mm and
5 mm. The number of stones counted depended on the
type and size of the sample, generally between 200 and
400 stones. The results of the petrographical analyses
were tabulated and presented in the form of pie charts.
The Microsoft package CORELCHART (Version 3) ® was
used to illustrate these results.
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 689

L a t . 53 o 1 7 '

e~
%

.$

~r

.3
L a t , 53 ° 7 '

FIG. 3. Bedrock geology of the study area. CPU: Basinal limestones, dark laminated, argillaceous calcisiltites and
calcareous shales. CPL: Basinal limestones, calcareous submarine fan sediments, calcareous mudstones and shales. TC:
Black mudstones, Tobber Colleen Formation basinal facies. AW: Allenwood Beds, shallow marine, pale grey massive
limestone. WA: Waulsortian limestones, Courceyan to Chadian massive, pale grey biomicrites. WAd: Waulsortian
limestones, locally dolomitised. ABL: Argillaceous bioclastic limestone, Courceyan. Fossiliferous, argillaceous calcarenites
interbedded with calcareous shales. ABLd: Argillaceous bioclastic limestone, locally dolomitised. NAV: Basinal
Carboniferous transgression, Courceyan Navan group, minor shales and locally calcareous sandstone. ORS: Old Red
Sandstone, Devonian. LP: Lower Palaeozoic, meta-sedimentary and meta-volcanic rocks.

D E S C R I P T I O N OF E X P O S U R E S AND THEIR On the north-eastern margin of the Curragh, adjacent to

SIGNIFICANCE
Pollardstown Fen
Description
Pollardstown Fen is on the eastern margin o f the
Curragh. The Fen occupies a wide flat-bottomed basin
into which meltwater flowed from the south through a
narrow channel. A wedge-shaped deposit forms a ridge
located on the western side of the Fen. On the eastern side
of the Fen the land undulates (Figs 4 and 5).
Pollardstown Fen, a ridge of diamicton overlies the
Curragh gravels. The Curragh gravels appear to continue
below the diamicton to the Fen, where they are seen
exposed in extensive gravel pits. A vertical sequence can
be seen in the exposure: fine sands (lower unit); overlain
by gravels (middle unit); overlain by a gravelly diamicton
(upper unit). The sands and gravels (middle unit) are well
sorted and crossbedded. At the base of the section and
extending towards the Fen the sediments become both
finer and horizontally bedded. These fine sediments are
690 Quaternao, Science Reviews: Volume 16

TABLE 1. Facies codes and related lithofacies and sedimentary structures of low sinuosity stream and glaciofluvial deposits
Facies codes Lithofacies Sedimentary structures
Dmm massive, diamicton none (unsorted)
Gins massive, matrix-supported gravel none
Gm massive or crudely bedded gravel horizontal bedding, imbrication
Gt gravel, stratified trough crossbeds
Gp gravel, stratified planar crossbeds

St sand, medium to v. coarse, may be pebbly solitary or grouped trough crossbeds

Sp sand, medium to v, coarse, may be pebbly solitary or grouped planar crossbeds
Sr sand, very fine to coarse ripple marks of all types
Sh sand, very fine to coarse, may be pebbly horizontal lamination, parting or streaming |ineation
SI sand, fine low angle (<10 °) crossbeds
Se erosional scours with interclasts crude crossbedding
Ss sand, fine to coarse, may be pebbly broad shallow scours including cross-stratification
Sse, She, Spe sand analogous to Ss, Sh, Sp

F1 sand, silt, mud fine lamination, very small ripples

Fsc silt, mud laminated to massive
Fcf mud massive with fresh water molluscs
Fm mud, silt massive, desiccation cracks
Fr silt, mud rootlet traces

C coal, carbonaceous mud plants, mud films

P carbonate pedogenic features
Modified from Miall (1977).

laminated and rippled silts and very fine sands (Fig. 6).
The middle unit of the section exhibits long, steeply
dipping (15-29 °) crossbeds of sand and gravel grading
into planar beds towards the Fen. These crossbeds dip
eastwards (90°E) and northeast (74°NE) towards the Fen
(Fig. 6). The upper unit of the exposure shows an
unconsolidated diamicton with a sandy matrix and
gravelly clasts. The clasts are subrounded to subangular,
the degree of roundness decreases with clast size.
Porphyritic volcanic rocks were common in the section
while only one piece of granite was noted. The finer silts
and clays occur in the base of the Fen and were identified
in borehole drilling from the Fen (Daly, 1981).
Both lithological and fabric analyses were carried out
on the deposits. The intention of the analyses was to
examine and compare the deposits with one another, to
identify the dominant lithological make up of the
sediments, and to determine their provenance. Stone
counts in the overlying diamicton showed that limestone
was the dominant clast type (Fig. 7). The results of these
analyses indicate a great similarity between the diamicton
and the g r a v e l s ( m i d d l e unit). The d o m i n a n c e o f
limestone suggests a Midland source for the diamicton
as that is the bedrock source area for limestone lithologies
(Philcox, 1994; Hitzman, 1992).
Fabric analyses were carried out on the same diamicton
to examine the strength of orientation of clasts and to
identify possible directions of ice movement or positions
of ice margins related to the deposition of the till. The
analyses for two of the samples indicate an ice flow
direction from 201°SW and 243°W, the third sample
produced a clustered effect with no preferred a-axis
orientation, although it is clear that few clasts had a north
or south dip (Fig. 8).
Interpretation
The long, steeply dipping foreset type beds (approxi-
mately 13 m long and up to 2 m thick) which form
the middle unit and which level out into horizontal
bottom set type beds are typical of sediments deposited
into standing water (Ashley and Smith, 1985). The
absence of any horizontal planar bedding at the top of
the middle unit, which could be interpreted as topsets,
and the long foreset type beds, which have a single
source point in the section and variable directions of
dip, suggest that these represent a prograding subaqu-
eous fan or delta deposited into a body of standing
water occupying the Fen with a sediment input point
below the lake surface (Ashley and Smith, 1985).
The beds dip generally to the east, towards Pollardstown
Fen, indicating a dispersal of sediments away from
the Curragh gravels. The fining of sediment eastwards
toward the Fen also supports this interpretation. Both
the lithological similarity of the overlying till to the
gravels below and the wear of the clasts indicates that
the till is likely to be a re-mobilisation or re-working
of the upper units of the gravels caused by localised
ice re-advance or by sediment flows at an ice margin.
Over folding or thrust shearing was not noted in the till.
The orientation of the till fabric suggests a movement
from the west and southwest. The strong preferred
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 691

FIGURE LOCATIONS, CO. KILDARE

/ /'-- Co. Meath

/
; Newtown Hills"'~:"........

©
6

cJ ~
S/ f~=
i y

5 "''-'~fm Aillinne

f
• ] Towns
t
g~:#~ Hills

Rivers
.,..........-"
thyo:~
/] County
Boundary
\ ¢&~,,/ ....

N
LOCATION
MAP

~-~,~-_~ j--
km

{) 1'3

SOURCE, Soil Survey of Kildare

FIG. 4. Figure location map, indicating the spatial distribution of the following figures in relation to each other and County
Kildare; 1 = Fig. 3, 2 = Fig. 5, 3 = Fig. 9, 4 = Fig. 13, 5 = Fig. 18.

orientation of clasts would suggest deposition by ice Ballysax Exposures

during localised advance of the margin. These results
support an interpretation of ice flow from the west
and the midlands.
The morphology of the area indicates a shallow lake
basin now accommodating Pollardstown Fen into which
glaciolacustrine fan sediments were deposited from an ice
margin to the west. The overlying diamictons are similar
in lithological content and particle size to the gravels,
suggesting a local till re-worked from the previously
deposited sands and gravels during a local advance
fluctuation in the ice margin.
Description
Ballysax is located on the southern margin of the
Curragh close to a large bedrock hill, Dfin Aillinne
(183 m). The general topography of the Curragh slopes
gently southwards towards Ballysax where a number of
gravel ridges (eskers) extend away from the main Curragh
body in a southerly direction. (Fig. 9). These esker ridges
join at their southern limit with a much broader ridge
oriented in a general east-west direction and joins the foot
of D f n Aillinne in the east (the Dtin Aillinne ridge).
692 Quaternary Science Reviews: Volume 16

Lat, 53° 13'

Eske~ o
Meltwater ,..d
channel
__ ~ Section

!!;!:i /ii ¸¸ i ;i
!ii:iii ! i! i~i¸ t:n.~!

Lat, 53° I0'

FIG. 5. Location of the Pollardstown Fen site and the section in Fig. 6. The Curragh plain (major gravel body) is situated Io
the south and Pollardstown Fen to the east and north. The sediments illustrated in Fig. 6 are exposed in the western bank of
the Fen.

The Dtin Aillinne ridge is 1.75 km long and 0.25 km
wide, having a broad and rounded crest. The ridge is
composed of units of well sorted crossbedded sand and
gravel, which are vertically stacked (Fig. 12). There are
no vertical facies changes though the lower gravel units
appear to be more strongly crossbedded than units
towards the top of the sequence, which are deformed by
folding and pressure shearing. These deformed beds have
been moved from their primary depositional positions and
show some sign of folding and possible shearing although
faulting is not common, No structural features are obvious
in the coarser beds. Planar bedded sand units occur
between the crossbedded units, which are commonly
clast-supported and open-work. Silt drapes occur over
some cobble beds. Petrographically, the sediments are
d o m i n a t e d by limestone, sandstone and some red
conglomerate clasts.
An exposure in one of the eskers (Ballysax esker)
allows the internal sediments to be examined. This ridge
is oriented north-northwest (336°), while the Dtin Aillinne
ridge is oriented northwest (310°). The esker ridge is
made up of stacked sets of crossbedded units of pebble
gravel and cobble gravel, the apparent dip of the
crossbeds is along the same orientation as the long axis
of the ridge (Fig. 10) and the beds are approximately 3 m
thick. This unit is overlain by a matrix-supported gravel.
The matrix is a yellow brown sand and the unit is crudely
crossbedded towards the base where it is conformable
with the crossbedded gravels. The clasts are well rounded
and petrographically similar to the gravels below. The
degree of bedding and sorting lessens towards the top of
this unit grading into the upper part, which is a massive
diamicton.
Crossbeds (approximately 1-2 m thick and 10 m long)
of silt to medium sand extend from the western side of the
Ballysax esker lorming a fan-shaped deposit connected to
the esker ridge. The crossbeds dip away from the esker
ridge towards the SW (224 °) and grade into planar beds.
Some crossbeds have no structure and are massive, while
others show planar laminations (Fig. 11). Ripples, small
trough crossbedding, climbing ripples, flame structures
and clay drapes occur in the planar beds to the southwest.
Directly adjacent to the gravel ridge and at the base of the
fine sediments is a small crossbedded unit of open-work
cobbles.
The areas between the esker ridges have been in-filled
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 693

2 6 8 °, W 88 °, E
12"
Log 1
11" C1SiSGC B Log 2
I0" 1 0 ~ d
Grnow . ~lSi SGC B
9- 9 ~ Gh
8 " ~ S P ~sp Slump
8-
. ~m ow o o 2°°°% Gm
7" 7" ,°, o °o Sp Log 3
6-
6' ~ G m s p CISiSGC B
5 ~ Gm 5 FI Sp
5"
4-
4 " ~ FI 54~p, Sr
3"
o2. ~ FI sh p
g2-
1" Slump l]Slump
CI = Clay, Si = SiR, S = Sand, G = Gravel, C = Cobble, B = Boulder.

Boulder ~ Ripple
Cobble ~. Cross bedding
0 Pebble \ Poorly bedded
o Fine gravel
:!;: Sand % Fault
I

measurements -:-: Silt ] Location

of log

FIG. 6. Section diagram of the sediments at the Pollardstown Fen site. Vertical logs at three locations in the section, and the
results of flow direction analyses are indicated. Results of fabric analyses of an overlying till, which is exposed in other
sections at this site, are shown on stereonet plots in Fig. 8. The codes used in the section diagram are explained in Table 1.

by finer sediments of the type described above. In places
an unconsolidated diamicton overlies the esker and fan
sediments. Similar deposits have been described recently
in the Abitibi region, Quebec (Brennand and Shaw,
1996). Petrographic analyses were carried out on the
diamicton which overlies the gravels in the Ballysax esker
ridge. The petrographical content of the diamicton is:
85% limestone, 4% chert and 7.8% sandstone. The results
of this analysis are similar to the results of the analysis
carried out on samples from the o v e r l y i n g till at
Pollardstown Fen. By a comparison of sediments, the
diamict in the Ballysax esker is considered to be a till
(Fig. 7). The petrographical similarities between the tills
at Ballysax and at Pollardstown Fen suggest that they
came from the same source area and may have originated
from the same ice mass situated in the Midlands (Fig. 7).
Fabric analyses were carried out on two gravel units in
the Ballysax esker ridge to ascertain the depositional flow
direction. The locations of the sampled units are indicated
in Fig. 10. The units chosen differed from each other. One
unit was crossbedded while the other was composed of
imbricated clasts. These were chosen in order to establish
whether the palaeocurrent direction differed between
d e p o s i t i o n a l units. Both s a m p l e s showed a strong
preferred orientation o f a-axis, although the results
between samples differed. The first sample showed a
strong preferred orientation of a-axis of clasts dipping
towards the N (353 ° ) at a dip angle of 28 ° whereas
the second sample indicated a strong preferred orienta-
tion of clasts dipping towards the SE (150 °) at a dip
angle of 32 °. When the sedimentology of the deposit
is examined (Fig. 10) it becomes clear that the first
sample was taken from the back of a rising bedform,
thus the clasts are imbricated. The second sample
was taken from a prograding avalanche type face.
Taking these considerations into account the fabric
analyses show that flow, in a general sense, was from
the north to south (Fig. 10).
Interpretation
The sediments in the Dtln ,/dllinne ridge at Ballysax
(alternating planar bedded and crossbedded sand with silt
drapes in between), which dip southwards away from the
Curragh, are best interpreted as having been deposited by
flowing water into a subaqueous environment. The
presence of the sand beds and silt drapes between the
crossbedded units suggests periods of low flow or
diminishing sediment availability. The presence of coarse
gravel units suggests proximity to an ice margin and
sediment source (Benn, 1996). The deformation in the
upper part of the exposure is interpreted as the result of
ice push or overriding ice close to or at an ice margin.
The crossbedded and stacked cobble to boulder gravel
in the Ballysax esker is typical o f esker deposits
elsewhere in Ireland (Warren and Ashley, 1994) and is
indicative of glaciofluvial ice marginal deposition. The
presence of undulating crossbedded units is interpreted to
indicate a subglacial conduit environment (Warren and
Ashley, 1994). The flow directions recorded in this
deposit indicate flow southwards away from the main
body of Curragh gravels. The esker merges with the Dtin
Aillinne ridge suggesting that this may have been a feeder
esker transporting sediment to an ice margin, now marked
by the larger ridge.
The crossbedded fine sediments deposited adjacent to
the Ballysax esker are interpreted as fan sediments
deposited into a glaciolacustrine environment, with a
694 Quaternao, Science Reviews: Volume 16

67

188__
P o l l a r d s t o w h F e n !,
Diamicton Diamicton

\99
Poilardstown Fen 3, Ballysax
Diamicton Diamicton

73.0

B r o w nstown x -jU
Diamicton
! ................................................................................

~%Lst °A~hcn~%Sst ~%Granit¢~%SUShB%Schis|~o~hc~

FIG. 7. Results of the lithological analyses carried out at the three study locations.

sediment source coming from the glaciofluvial system
adjacent to it. This was probably a small locally ponded
area behind the Dfin Aillinne ridge into which sediment
was deposited at a stage of ice standstill during retreat.
This type of deposit is described by Warren and Ashley
(1994) as a long beaded type esker in their classification
of esker sedimentation. The climbing ripple structures,
flame and flow separation structures, which are observed
in the well-sorted silt to sand sediments are commonly
found in aqueous environments of standing or low flow
regime sedimentation (Selly, 1982).
The combined results of the analyses suggest that the
sediments forming the Dfin Aillinne ridge are ice
marginal deposits and were fed by small glaciofluvial
esker systems, the esker system being deposited by a flow
from the north. The sediments are dominated by lime-
stone clasts with similar percentages as those at Pollards-
town Fen, suggesting that a Midland ice margin lay at the
position of the large ridge, and retreated northwards
during decay.
Brownstown Exposures
Description
There are several large sand deposits at Brownstown,
which is an area north of Kilcullen town (Fig. 13). The
Brownstown deposits and exposures are on the eastern
side of the River Liffey but the sands and gravels extend
westwards towards the eastern margin of the Curragh
(Fig. 13). There are three large exposures in the deposits
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 695

Pollardstown Fen, Diamict (1) Pollardstown Fen, Diamict (2)

N N

N, 25 " ~ ~ N , 25
S 1, 0.653 S1, 0 . 6 2 0

Pollardstown Fen, Diamict (3)

N

$1,0.630

FIG. 8. Stereonet plots describing the results of till fabric analyses carried oat at three locations in the Pollardstown Fen
exposures. Sample 1, sampled from the western face of the pit. Sample 2, sampled from the western face of the pit 30 m to
the south of sample 1. Sample 3, sampled from the eastern face of the pit, this face is close to the margin of the bank of the
fen.

at Brownstown, referred to here as K e e n a n ' s Pit,
Brownstown landfill and M c D o n n e l l ' s Pit. Two facies
occur in all of the exposures; the lower facies varies
among exposures and is described below, while the upper
facies, a diamicton, is similar in all exposures. The upper
facies is up to 3 m thick, is a light brown colour and is
composed of rounded predominantly limestone clasts. It
is unconsolidated and has a sandy matrix and there were
no structures observed. The sediment is poorly sorted and
contains no striated clasts. The contact between the
gravels and the diamicton varies; it is sharp and clearly
identifiable but is also conformable. This upper facies is
considered to be a till and is discussed later.
Keenan's Pit is located at the southern edge of a flat
hill overlooking a flat low plain to the south and the
alluvial deposits of the River Liffey. The exposure is
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 0 - 4 0 m high and shows a vertical
sequence of bedded sand and gravel units forming a
lower facies and an upper till facies, which is described
above (Fig. 14). The sediments are predominantly well-
sorted, planar beds of fine sands that alternate with planar
beds of open-work rounded pebble gravel. Fine, medium,
and coarse pebble gravel beds occur, some of which are
crossbedded indicating a depositional flow direction. The
planar beds are continuous and can be traced throughout
most of the pit face exposure. Rip-up structures, ripples,
and crossbedding occur in the finer sediments. Block
faulting in sand layers may be due to pressure release or
loss of support from the northwest.
M c D o n n e l l ' s Pit is situated 400 m to the north of
Keenan's Pit, in the same flat hill (Fig. 13). The exposure
height is approximately 19-30 m. Two facies are also
exposed in this pit, the upper till facies and a lower facies
consisting of a vertical sequence of crossbedded gravel
units with an overall fining upward sequence. The
primary sedimentary structures are large and small scale
crossbeds; faulting and collapse features are secondary
structures (Fig. 15). The lower facies sediments in
M c D o n n e l l ' s Pit are coarser than those in Keenan's Pit.
The sediments vary in size from fine to coarse gravel: a
696 Quaternao' Science Reviews: Volume 16
Ball?.~ax
Esker
Ballysax 1
Old Pit
X""2 ! ¢
% o 2.] a:: |
t t |
S ; .;.:'i-..'. 25,, ;Si ?,{~eSc~e,
...a
Lat. 53 ° 06'
FIG. 9. Ballysax site location map, indicating the positions of the major morphological features. The major Curragh gravel
body is situated to the north of the exposures and Ddn Aillinne to the south-east. The locations of individual sections are
indicated on the map; (1) Ballysax esker, section illustrated in Fig. 10; (2) Ballysax fan, section illustrated in Fig. I 1: (3) Ddn
Aillinne ridge, section illustrated in Fig. 12.
single limestone boulder was recorded measuring 3.5 m
in diameter. The clasts in the deposit are subrounded and
dominated by limestone lithologies. Both massive and
c r o s s b e d d e d units of gravel occur. Medium gravel
crossbeds midway through the sequence appear to dip
towards the N W (290 °) although the true dip of these
could not be measured because of the dangerous nature of
the pit face.
Brownstown landfill site is situated approximately
200 m to the north of McDonnell's Pit, described above.
The exposure is in a separate hill, but is part of the same
morphological unit (Fig. 13). In Brownstown landfill site
the sediments are fine, composed mainly of planar sand
beds. Fine to coarse sand beds are exposed at the base of
the sequence in a unit 6 - 1 0 in thick; above these are
cobble gravel beds and sand layers with some rip-up
structures (Figs 15 and 16). The lower beds dip to the east
(70°). Samples for petrographical analyses were taken
from both the gravel facies and the overlying diamicton
for comparison with each other and with samples taken
from the other sites. The results indicate a dominance of
limestone in both the sands and gravels and in the
overlying diamicton. The limestone component (73%) is
not as dominant as in the samples taken from the Curragh
Lat, 53o 10'
BALLYSAX PIT EXPOSURES %
Legend
,.2
Site It~ation
Roads
i ~ Boundaries
Eskers
ID Bota
Section
Ilk
margin. The sediments are composed of limestone (73%),
chert (20%), sandstone, granite and some slates and
shales (Lower Palaeozoic). Granite outcrops in the
Wicklow Mountains to the east, the northeast and the
southeast of the Curragh (Fig. 7).
The diamicton shows a preferred orientation of a-axis
of clasts dipping towards the southwest ( 2 2 7 ) (Fig. 17).
Bed measurements carried out on the coarse sand beds (at
Brownstown landfill) show the beds to be dipping
towards the east and southeast, while bed measurements
on the finer sand beds and gravel beds indicate deposition
towards the south and southwest. The location of these
beds is illustrated in Fig. 17.
In terpretation
The horizontal planar bedding in Keenan's Pit with
alternating beds of sand and open-work gravel are a
common feature in subaqueous environments, showing an
alternation between periods of high and low sediment
input and between periods of high and low flow regimes
(Ashley and Smith, 1985). Flat poorly drained ground
between this pit and the alluvial sediments of the River
Liffey is composed of distal sediments related to this
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 697
322°, NW 142°, SE
13" LOG1 LOG2
12"
n"-T
Dm
10"
• . • Gmo • 6 ° ,._; D
Q

8" • &. • &

7
6
~ _:.&
4""I
3"~
ew Gp
2"
1"

METERS '
I0 20' '
30 /,,o '
50 & 7~ 80 9O 100 110 120 130
Cl s i s ( CB
LOG 1 la ~ ~ LOG 2 o ~
9".? ",2°~ ~m"
7" Gp ow

6" s~

4" Gp ow
© 3"
2" sp
N,25 2 ~ G m s
S1, 0.577 METERS
1 SLUMP 1 SLUMP @ N , 25
METERS
C1 = Clay, Si = Silt, S = Sand, O = Oravel, C = Cobble, B = Boulder.
S1, 0.695

FIG. 10. A 'long section' diagram of the esker sediments at Ballysax. Vertical logs at two locations in the section, and the
results of flow direction analyses are indicated. The codes used in the section diagram are explained in Table 1. The symbols
used are explained in the key on Fig. 6.

process of deposition. In McDonnell's Pit the sediment is described by Shaw for ice-contact sediments in Shrop-
coarser than in Keenan's but the exposed sequence still shire, England (Shaw, 1972). However the lack of
shows horizontal bedding of stacked units of gravels and structure and the consistent orientation of clasts in the
crossbedded units. This sequence indicates an overall diamicton, as well as the above mentioned characteristics
coarsening of sediments towards the north. The sand beds of the diamicton, are considered here to indicate a
in the Landfill site, which are crossbedded, dip towards reworking of the lower gravels and local re-deposition
the west, and the presence of ripples and small trough with the introduction of some erratic clasts. These erratic
crossbedding indicates the glaciofluvial deposition of clasts may have been introduced by a re-advance of a
sediments into slow flowing or standing water. fluctuating ice margin of an eastward flowing ice sheet.
The unconsolidated nature of the diamicton and the Although the dominant lithology in the overlying
lack of striated clasts could indicate a type of flow till as diamicton is limestone and the clasts are well rounded

8 °, N 188°, S i 86°, E 2 6 6 °, W Log 1 Log 2

cL&
13
I Log 1 Log 2 CISi S G C B
12 , ~ Gms
l0 -.i--
11 i
lO Sh Sr
9
8 Fsc $h
7 Sh
~ Sr 5 ,~ Sr
6
~ Gp
5
4'
FI FI
3
NI N 1 Slump
2
Slump
Slum
1
i
' 18 20 CI ~ Clay, Si ~ Silt, S = Sand, G = Gravel, C = Cobble, B = Boulder.
Meters 10 30 0 50
N
r

FIG. 1 I. Section diagram of the fan sediments at Ballysax. Vertical logs at two locations in the section, and the results of
flow direction analyses are indicated. The codes used in the section diagram are explained in Table 1. The symbols used are
explained in the key on Fig. 6.
698 Quaternary Science Reviews: Volume 16

342°, NW 162°, SE

14-
~ ~ . - .~ ;W ,~.= i I .-.--~-U-.~.~--- ~ . - . : . - ; 5/;:~:/{ "" • • ".- ~ ~ _ . .
_'- _ *-: --L~_ o" . ~ :, i.. --v< .-1<- _. ->o .'... - " f -. % - ". , " ~ ° . ~ o •
12-

10-

8-

6-

o. " . Z ;° /'. : I
I
[
:~ 2- slump
I
slump

i i i i
L i i i i i

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42

Meters
FIG. 12. Section diagram of the sediments in the Dfin Aillinne Ridge at Ballysax. The codes used in the section diagraln are
explained in Table I. The symbols used are explained in the key on Fig. 6.

as in the gravels below, the presence of granite and Lower
Palaeozoic shales in the diamicton suggest a provenance
or source toward the northeast or east. Fabric orientation
in the diamicton supports this observation as they indicate
deposition from the east. The combined results suggest
the sediments are ice contact deposits of glaciolacustrine
genesis and that they were deposited in a southerly and
south-westerly direction into a body of water. The
overlying diamicton suggests a small re-advance of local
ice which r e - m o b i l i s e d the surface gravels of the
previously deposited glaciolacustrine sediments. The
fabric analyses results suggest that the ice from which
the diamicton was deposited was moving from the east.
A MODEL OF DEGLACIATION
MIDLANDS
A comprehensive view of the deglacial processes can
be synthesised from the spatial relationships between, and
a comparison of, the deposits. A considerable amount of
ponded water was required at the margins of the ice in
order to accommodate the formation of glaciolacustrine
fan and deltaic deposits. It appears that there was a
localised re-advance of ice over these deposits during a
late stage of deglaciation.
The Ice Margins
The ice marginal deposits indicate previous ice front
positions and the spatial patterns and facies assemblages
indicate the direction in which the ice margins retreated.
It is suggested here that one margin lay along the western
edge of Pollardstown Fen and retreated in a westerly
direction and that a second margin lay along the Ballysax
fan moraine and retreated in a northerly or north-westerly
direction. These two margins were probably lobes of the
same ice mass (indicated by similar petrographical,
morphological and spatial analyses) and therefore may
have been contemporaneous. The resultant vector inter-
preted from the fabric analyses on deposits relating to the
two ice margins suggests that ice retreated back towards a
single centre (Fig. 18). A third margin is suggested to
have been positioned to the northeast of Kilcullen. This
may have been the margin of a separate ice mass not
connected to the Midland ice. Evidence for this is found
in the lithological composition of the sediments at
Brownstown and in the directions of deposition inter-
preted from fabric and facies analyses. This ice margin
was retreating in a northerly or easterly direction. As
these lobes retreated towards their own centres they
uncoupled in the area of the present River Liffey drainage
basin, opening up an area where water became ponded.
Several ice lobes which developed during the deglaciation
of the Scandinavian ice sheet were described as having
IN T H E I R I S H been the more active parts of the larger ice-sheet
(Punkari, 1980). Large interlobate complexes of glacio-
fluvial sand and gravel were identified from the areas
between these lobes. The interlobate complexes in
Finland, where gravel hillocks and outwash plains are
typical features, are often mistaken as being end moraine
complexes (Punkari, 1980).
The surface gravels of the Curragh are sandur type
(Krigstr6m, 1962; Augustinus and Riezebos, 1971), small
exposures indicate cross bedding and there are several
palaeo-channels on the surface which give the Curragh its
gently undulating morphology. The undulating surface
topography of the Curragh supports this suggestion. It is
possible that these were deposited during the final stage
of ice retreat as there is no surface diamicton over the
Curragh gravels. The surface deposit of gravels on the
Curragh may have been deposited as outwash into a
shallow lake which rapidly became sediment filled as the
ice margins retreated and the shallow lake drained. A flat
plain would have been left by the retreating ice after the
ponded water had drained. Drainage routes for the ponded
water must have been southwards along small meltwater
channels extending southward from Kilcullen. The eskers
at Ballysax indicate that the retreat of the ice margin was
not continuous but was staggered. Small fans developed
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 699

Lat, 53° tO'

BROWNSTOWN PIT EXPOSURES %

~' Roads
Eskers
~,~ Rivers
• Towns
Contours
D Gravel
g Pits
I Bogs~

%
~1 (ilcullen \? ]k~ "[" I
-31 SOURCE, I 25~0~K)G S I map series ' [

Lat, 53° 6'

FIG. 13. Brownstown site location map, indicating the positions of the major morphological features. The major Curragh
gravel body is situated to the west and northwest. The River Liffey flows westwards along the south of the exposures and
then northwards to the west of the exposures. The location of the section at the Landfill site is indicated on the map, (1)
location of Fig. 17.

to the sides of the eskers at Ballysax indicating ice
marginal standstill positions.
Meltwater Drainage During Late Deglaciation
A further issue regarding meltwater drainage considers
the present course of the River Liffey. The route of the
River Liffey seems anomalous in the context of the
overall drainage pattern in the Mid-Kildare region, where
all present day-drainage and palaeo-drainage systems
drain southwards. The River Liffey at Kilcullen curves
sharply (90 ° ) northwards. If the area to the north of
Kilcullen was covered by ice prior to the uncoupling and
decay of the ice margins, meltwater flowing along the
Liffey drainage basin would have been forced to flow
southwards from this point (Fig. 18).
Clear evidence for such drainage exists in the form of
several meltwater channels, which flow south from
Kilcullen and drain into the Barrow and Slaney basins.
As the margins uncoupled and decayed, lower ground to
the north was opened and water could freely drain
northwards along the present Liffey basin. At this stage
water also drained along the meltwater channel into
Pollardstown Fen where another lake developed.
CONCLUSIONS
The glaciolacustrine and glaciofluvial sediments con-
sist of well-sorted fine sands to coarse gravels, with clasts
rarely exceeding the cobble size-range. Many of the
deposits are capped by a diarnicton with clasts of a similar
size-range to the glaciofluvial sediments. The sedimen-
tary sequences indicate ice proximal deposits and local
ice re-mobilisation in a predominantly proglacial setting.
Petrographic analyses revealed little difference between
the diamictons and underlying gravel deposits, suggesting
700 Quaternal3' Science Reviews: Volume 16

FIG. 14. Alternate units of medium to coarse gravel and medium to fine sands. Some deformation occurs at the very lop of
the exposure. Photograph of part of the section in Keenan's Pit at Brownstown. The overlying till has been removed from the
surface of this exposure in preparation for gravel exlraction by the pit owners. The section height at this location is 21 m.

FIG. 15. Horizontal and crossbedded units of gravel and medium sand overlain by a till approximately 4 m thick. Faults
exist through several of the lower gravel beds and there is some deformation in the uppermost sand beds. The section is one
face of McDonnell's pit in the Brownstown exposures: the section height is 19 m.
 C. Glanville: Glacial Lakes in the Southeastern Midlands of Ireland 701

FIG. 16. Brownstown Landfill site. The photograph shows the till overlying mainly medium to coarse sands in stacked
crossbedded units. The section height is approximately 12 m.

re-working of sediments from the same source material. chert and Lower Palaeozoic slates and shales, in the west
However, there are significant differences in the litholo- they are d o m i n a t e d by limestone, and in the north they are
gical c o m p o s i t i o n of diamictons suggesting different d o m i n a t e d by greater q u a n t i t i e s of sandstone. The
sources. In the east the diamictons are d o m i n a t e d by m o r p h o l o g y of the landscape, which is d o m i n a t e d by

260°, W 80°, E
" - " Lo-2 Lo-a _ Logl Log2 Log3
4- Log I ~ . ~'-- os~s~cB cl~s~s~q~c~ cAsis,fig~r~
13- ~ | J A ~ 1 2 ~ 1 1 ~

• ° ", ,,, • 9q_

9"~':""" ~ ° h"X~ "~"o"- ' \ ~ ~ \ 5 ~ , ~ St~ p 8 J ~ Fi8_p 7~ FIG
87 : ' ~. ~ . - - ~
. ~
~ ~ .
-~ \ ~ z y \~,~.,~ \
X
~, 4 ~
.~ 3 ~
srSP
~rsp
7 - ~ z ~ ' 'St
6"~ F, SP
6"t\'xXW
5~\\\\~ s' p
6 . ~ ~ ~ . . ~\ ~ ~f~. d ~ ~ 2~ FI~ 5~" ~. 4"~\~

2] Ground [ "~l ~ " \ [

1] [' '~'~' ~ Gr°unl/ ~ X C'=Clay'Si=gilt'S'Smad'G=Gravel'C=Cobble'B=B°ulder"
Meters 10 ~0 30V0 f0 60
N

' measurements N, 20 ~ N, 25
St, 0.892 St, 0.669

FIG. 17. Section diagram of the sediments at Brownstown Landfill site. Vertical logs at three locations in the section, and the
results of flow direction analyses are indicated. Two fabric analyses and two single sand bed measurements were carried out,
tile locations of which are indicated by arrows. The codes used in the section diagram are explained in Table 1. The symbols
used are explained in the key on Fig. 6.
702 Quaternao' Science Reviews: Volume 16
Long, 6 ° 58'
:L0~0n rap,........... Ice D i r e c t i o n s a n d Ice
" In@
! ?
12'
Kildare •
Ice Direction
• Towns
Countours
The M ~ Cu~gh B ~
Glaeiofluvial ridge
River Liffey
FIG. 18. Ice directions and ice margins in Kildare, indicating the interpreted movement of ice and positions of ice margins in
Kildare during the last period of deglaciation. Inset of multiple ice domes (Warren and Ashley, 1994) indicating the situation
of the map in relation to the multiple dome theory.
flat-topped gravel suites and more pronounced ridges,
also supports the i d e a o f two ice m a r g i n s in a
glaciolacustrine environment. The morphological orienta-
tion of the deglacial deposits suggests that they were not
all deposited from the same margin. In at least one case
(the Dfin Aillinne ridge), an ice marginal ridge of fan
sediments was fed by a narrow feeder esker oriented
perpendicular to that ridge. The direction of deposition of
glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments during de-
glaciation and the direction of ice re-advance (interpreted
from the overlying diamicton) are similar. Flow direc-
tions therefore suggest that the re-advance of ice was a
localised fluctuation of the ice margin after a period of
decay, resulting in the bulldozing and reworking of
sediments probably causing debris flows and flow till
close to the ice margin.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dr W.P. Warren of the Geological
Survey of Ireland for his patience and helpful suggestions during
the research and writing of this paper, l would also like to thank
Dr C.J.D. Gallagher for his supervision and reviewers H.
MarginsinMid
N~Is
"vetLi"ffey
/
Kilcullen
io
SCALE
0 7kin
t, I
SOURCF, O.S, Sho:t 16
Mooers and W.B. Thompson. Finally, thank you to all those who
assisted with fieldwork.
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