In chemistry student Dorontina Domi first couple of months of her placement at BGS, she has rotated between different laboratories including organics, collagen extraction and modern environmental gas analysis. This has provided her with a broad experience of the different instruments and sample preparation techniques that are required within BGS Stable Isotope Facility (SIF). In this blog, Dorontina tells us about some of her experiences so far. 

Carbon and nitrogen isotopes in organic materials

A wide array of instruments in the SIF can be used to analyse the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope composition of organic materials found in sediments, soils and plant materials. The bulk of the analysis is carried out using an Elementar isoprime precisION isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) with a vario ISOTOPE cube elemental analyser (EA). The samples are combusted in the EA and are then passed onto the IRMS on a continuous flow of helium carrier gas, selected for its inertness and separation efficiency for measurement.

While learning sample preparation, I gained experience in using microbalances to weigh samples down to 200 micrograms (or 0.0002 grams), which is a miniscule amount that is challenging to see with the naked eye. I compacted the weighed sample material into either crucibles or capsules, depending on the instrument and their auto sampling methods.

When analysing these sample materials for C isotopes, it is important to understand whether the results are representing organic or inorganic C fractions contained in the material. Organic carbon consists of compounds sourced from living organisms and their remains, and inorganic carbon, such as from carbonates, is formed from biological and geological processes. The two forms of C have very distinct isotope compositions (inorganic C typically has more carbon-13 compared organic C) and even a small amount of inorganic C contamination in samples can offset target organic C isotope values.

Samples must therefore be treated to remove inorganic C prior to isotope analysis. I acidified samples using hydrochloric acid (HCl) and rinsed them with purified water, using a centrifuge to ensure thorough washing, until the pH tested neutral. This process dissolves the inorganic C fraction and isolates the organic C fraction.

SIF houses 13 mass spectrometers, so I have also gained experience in how staff conduct maintenance, such as on the Elementar IRMS. I assisted in replacing the consumables to ensure that the analyses are performed with a high precision and accuracy.

Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes in prehistoric bone samples

Comparing carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios from carnivores and their prey allows us to distinguish the palaeo-diet of animals and the of different species. This allows us to interpret their relationships during different ages and draw inferences from the data on changes associated with climate differences. For example, the higher the nitrogen isotope composition (δ¹⁵N) the more ‘carnivore-like’ feeding habits took place, therefore the main prey for each species can be identified.

Statistical tools called Bayesian mixing models will be used as a framework to integrate the large proportion of data from throughout modern and Pleistocene times and to infer the relevant data. Through this, the project will assess how changes in climate and environment influenced the feeding behaviour of the wolves and their resilience during reductions in prey availability. This information is crucial to understand the influence climate change will have on the endangered species in the future and help conservation strategies.

As part of the sampling programme, I was given an opportunity to spend a day at the laboratories in London, where I observed the meticulous drilling process used to cut small pieces of material from a variety of different fossil species for later analysis. The samples were cut from areas that will minimise damage of the structural integrity of the bone for conservation purposes.

As well as fossil samples, the project is also analysing contemporary wolves from Croatia and their prey as a comparison. These samples are less than 100 years old and required an initial solvent treatment in the geomicrobiology lab before collagen extraction could begin.

I have also helped to prepare the samples for isotope analysis, where a multi-step process takes place to extract the collagen, before it is purified and analysed via the EA-IRMS.

Carbon isotopes in methane samples

Another aspect of my training coversanalysing methane (CH₄) gas samples for their carbon isotope composition using a Sercon HS2022 with CyroGas.

This instrument works by purifying the sample gas via carbon dioxide (CO₂) traps and a cryogenic gas trap to remove any other sources of carbon present that are not from CH₄, thus reducing potential sources of contamination. The sample gas then flows through a combustion tube, where the CH₄ is converted to CO₂ and cryogenic trapping takes place, ensuring that the CO₂ is concentrated in the final trap and can be released to the mass spectrometer rapidly. This allows for a narrow, sharp peak that can be analysed and replicated with a high precision. I also hope to help with the analysis of hydrogen (H) isotopes via the pyrolysis of CH₄ to H₂.

Working at BGS as a student

If you are an undergraduate student looking for an opportunity within stable isotopes, I highly recommend BGS. Not only is it the largest UK producer of stable isotope data, but it is also a supportive workplace to be a part of. There are a variety of clubs to involve yourself in such as the BGS Wilding Group. Staff and volunteers maintain the natural areas at BGS to promote wildlife biodiversity, as a commitment to sustainability.

I would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone at the Stable Isotope Facility for welcoming me with such support and excitement. It has been an incredible start to the placement and I am looking forward to the rest of the year!

About the author 

Dorontina Domi is an undergraduate chemistry student at the University of Surrey, completing her industrial placement at SIF, which is located at BGS headquarters in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. 

The lowland tropical rainforests of South-east Asia are complex ecosystems best known for their evergreen forests dominated by the towering dipterocarp trees and unique wildlife. The rainforests are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet due to climate change, deforestation, logging and agriculture. Many key areas of South-east Asia are also located on the tectonically active Pacific Ring of Fire, which consists of a ‘ring’ of active volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions can be explosive, caused by pressure that has built up over time sending ash, rock and gas into the atmosphere. These eruptions can have an immediate destructive impact on the surrounding environment, negatively affecting forest systems; however, volcanic ash also contains nutrients such as phosphorus, which is essential for plant growth and productivity.  

Ancient environmental DNA

To understand the response and recovery of these tropical forest systems after a volcanic event, I am using lake-sediment cores to explore past records of volcanic activity and forest productivity.  

Lakes act like stores of environmental information, as the sediments found on lake floors are composed of organic and inorganic materials that have accumulated over time. These sediments can provide insights into past nutrient dynamics through geochemical analysis. By extracting ancient environmental DNA (aeDNA), which is genetic material derived from plant material and cells from animals and microorganisms, we can discover how forest biomes have responded to environmental change over time.  

Ancient environmental DNA is typically highly degraded, vulnerable to hydrolysis and oxidation, and easily contaminated by modern DNA. It is therefore crucial to work in a clean environment where the risk of contaminating the samples is minimal.  

Sample handling 

Before splitting the lake sediment core and subsamples for aeDNA extraction, it was first radiographically scanned at the Core Scanning Facility at the BGS campus in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. Radiographic scanning was also carried out to identify past volcanic events without opening the core, to avoid any potential contamination. I then travelled with the lake sediment core from BGS to the Globe Institute, part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, which specialises in geogenetics, for aeDNA extraction. 

The institute is located in the heart of Denmark capital city. It is surrounded by the Botanical Garden, the National Gallery for Arts, and the King Garden, where Rosenborg Castle is located. On arrival, you are met by one of the largest iron meteorites in the world, before entering the Centre for Geogenetics, where the clean aeDNA laboratories are.  

A strict protocol must be followed to avoid any form of modern contamination when working in these laboratories. This includes wearing a full protective outfit consisting of a hazmat suit, face mask, gloves, overshoes, extra protective sleeves and an extra pair of gloves. After suiting up for working the in laboratory, everything must be cleaned in bleach (and washed in ethanol afterwards). The selected samples and all laboratory equipment are then placed in a special clean fume hood, where the aeDNA can be extracted and prepared for sequencing.  

The core was not cut open until it arrived at the Globe Institute, where aeDNA samples were taken at 1 cm intervals using sterile syringes. The samples were taken from intervals pre-eruption, right after the eruption, and several intervals post-eruption, to help understand the forest system response to volcanic events. The selected samples were incubated overnight and purified the next day, after which the concentration was measured. Finally, the samples went through another preparation process, the crucial step that converts raw DNA into a library of adapter-ligated, standardised fragments that have been amplified to ensure enough copies are available for genetic sequencing.  

Next steps 

While the prepared DNA samples are awaiting sequencing, the final work for geochemical analysis and stable isotopes measurements is being completed at BGS laboratories back in Keyworth. These analyses will help explore the history of past nutrient inputs from volcanic events and improve our understanding of how such inputs influence the tropical rainforest system.  

Copenhagen, Denmark 

From working intensely in the laboratories to exploring the city surrounding the Globe Institute, I enjoyed my time in Copenhagen. It a vibrant city known for its blend of historic charm and modern design, exceptional cycling culture and world-class food. The city offers attractions like Tivoli Gardens, Amalienborg Slot (the royal castle), Nyhavn and Free Town Christiania, which are, in my opinion, places you must see while walking around with a Ristet med det hele (a hot dog with the works) and a cocio (Danish chocolate milk). And of course, you can never go wrong by entering one of the many bakeries to make the impossible decision of which pastry to choose… 

Thanks 

A big thank you goes to Dr Ana Prohaska for hosting me at the Globe Institute, training me in new skills in molecular biology, and giving me the tools to help me understand the processes of the work. Another big thanks must go to the rest of the team at the Globe Institute for making me feel a part of the group, even though I was only there for a short amount of time.  

51ÁÔÆæ has developed a new, national-scale, offshore dataset that shows the distribution of previously interpreted Quaternary rock layers in the shallow subsurface of the UK continental shelf.

The BGS Offshore Quaternary 250K datasetcomprises a compilation of legacy BGS 1:250000 Quaternary geology map sheets, which were first published in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Large areas of the UK offshore are covered at a scale of 1:250000 and this is the first time these map sheets have been digitised and merged together.

The dataset is made up of vector polygons, each representing an area where a particular formation has been mapped. The legacy map sheet interpretations have not been modified during the digitisation; they are presented in their original form and have been ‘mosaiced’ together as a single digital product.

The dataset will help users, particularly those in the offshore renewables sector, to understand the stratigraphy that was mapped historically in a particular area and can be used for reference when completing site investigations.

The principal drive behind this release is to make original 1:250000 map data available in a digital format. Although work to refine Quaternary stratigraphical frameworks is ongoing, the map compilation is not informed by new data or analyses.

The Offshore Quaternary 250K dataset is the first time that these legacy offshore map sheets will be digitised, making it easier for users to access the data than ever before.

Andrew Dyson, marine geoscientist at BGS.

In 2023, BGS entered into a data-sharing partnership with to enhance understanding of the seabed and shallow subsurface conditions across the United Kingdom continental shelf . The partnership granted BGS access to Ossian extensive survey data, with the development set to become one of the world’s largest floating wind farms.

In total the lease area covers 858km² and is located 84km off Scotland east coast. Once glaciated and now submerged at approximately 72m depth, the site offers a unique opportunity to investigate offshore stratigraphy and geomorphology in a region undergoing rapid environmental and industrial transformation. It also allows researchers to compare findings to Ossian parent company ’ other projects in the Firth of Forth: and .

As part of the project, BGS scientists hosted a dedicated workshop attended by members of the Ossian project team, which included a mini-field trip day in Midlothian close to the BGS office in Edinburgh. The field trip allowed the project teams to explore similarities to geological features found onshore and discuss the broader implications for interpreting offshore survey data. By examining glacial deposits, meltwater channels and till sequences in a terrestrial setting, geoscientists can refine offshore geological models and reduce uncertainty in infrastructure design.

A key example observed during the field trip was the heterogeneity of the sediments across relatively small areas, with notable variations in grain size, composition and depositional structure. These complexities mirror the variability of ground conditions found offshore and highlight the importance of detailed site characterisation when planning and constructing marine infrastructure.

To help contextualise the offshore data, the field trip explored several key geological sites in Midlothian, each offering valuable insights into glacial processes and sedimentary environments similar to those observed beneath the sea.

Auchencorth Moss: Black Burn exposure (Local Geodiversity Site)

Auchencorth Moss is an extensive, peat-covered plateau dissected by small streams and drainage channels. The , where a tributary joins the River North Esk near Penicuik, features an exposure of three distinct glacial tills with varying physical characteristics and compositions. Though partially obscured by slope wash and vegetation, the upper sections remain visible and accessible for study. The exposure reveals how glacial processes deposited and reworked sediments, which act as a useful analogue for interpreting stratified units offshore.

Carlops meltwater channel

There is a classic example of a subglacial meltwater channel systems at , a Geological Conservation Review Site and partially a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The bedrock-cut channels at Carlops exhibit braided forms, rock islands and chute features. These geomorphological structures help explain the beneath ice sheets, which are also evident in offshore channel features. The site also provides a good opportunity to emphasise the scale of channel features, helping to conceptualise the variability of the offshore landscape.

Hewan Bank

, an SSSI located close to Roslin Glen, presents a textbook sequence of two tills overlain by sands and gravels. The locality has been used to construct the regional glacial stratigraphy for the Edinburgh and Lothians area.

The debate over whether these represent separate glaciations or complex depositional environments mirrors the interpretive challenges faced offshore, where seismic and core data must be carefully analysed to distinguish between similar units. The wider Roslin Glen area, known for its meltwater gorge and incised meanders, also illustrates the erosional power of glacial meltwater and the formation of geomorphological features that can be traced in offshore bathymetry and sediment records.

Collaboration

The collaboration between Ossian, SSE Renewables and BGS provides important new data that is being used to update baseline geological models for the Central North Sea and the Firth of Forth. These feed into BGS publicly available offshore maps and datasets, which support a wide range of users including developers, regulators, researchers and marine planners. Integrating data from offshore wind farms such as Ossian with existing geological frameworks will help to guide future offshore developments and promote the sustainable use of marine resources.

This initiative also builds on BGS longstanding relationship with Ossian joint venture partner SSE Renewables and highlights the value of sustained collaboration in delivering large-scale renewable energy projects. The Ossian floating wind farm, which is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, and (CIP), is set to deliver up to 3.6GW of renewable energy, enough to power 6million homes and offset up to 7.5million tonnes of carbon emissions, marking a significant step forward in the UK journey to net zero.

About the author

Catriona Macdonald
Margaret Stewart

Characterising the distribution of seabed sediments (SBS) is critical for a wide range of applications, including:

• habitat mapping
• marine ecosystem science
• mineral and aggregates assessments
• offshore infrastructure siting and monitoring
• defence
• shipping
• coastal management

51ÁÔÆæ has developed the new national-scale 51ÁÔÆæ Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK) dataset aimed at supporting these applications. The dataset comprises four digital maps that portray SBS composition, including a classified map of sediment types, as well as the predicted proportions of gravel, sand and mud across the UK continental shelf.

These detailed maps are based on about 40 000 sample measurements, as well as numerous physical covariates that relate to the spatial distribution of SBS. They were generated with the assistance of machine learning.

Understanding the nature of the seabed is fundamental for many offshore activities, from understanding benthic habitats and carbon stores to effectively designing and installing offshore infrastructure, including wind turbines and submarine cables.

Seabed sediments lie at the interface between the water column above and the variable geological substrate below. To an extent, they can be considered similar to the soil layer on land, but offshore sediments are exposed to dynamic marine conditions and are therefore potentially transitory and mobile over variable timescales, for example, during tidal, seasonal and storm cycles.

We hope that the release of the new BGS Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK) dataset will provide a useful free resource for many users, including researchers, developers and marine managers.

Dayton Dove, marine geoscientist at BGS.

The BGS Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK) dataset is now freely available to download under the Open Government Licence (OGL) and can be used in combination with other thematic 51ÁÔÆæ 250K datasets that are also now available via OGL, such as bedrock geology. It can also be used with our more recently produced, high-resolution seabed geology mapping.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee provided initial co-funding and supported this project.

Located on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, is an enclosed limestone gorge surrounded by woodland, meadows and a lake. It has many caves and fissures containing prehistoric fossils and artefacts and is an area of interest to many scientific communities. The Victorians first discovered ancient artefacts in the cave sediments in the 19th century and, since then, scholars have been excavating the caves to answer pressing palaeontological and archaeological questions, and recreating fascinating stories of life during the last ice age, between 50 000 and 11 700 years before present (BP). 

The Cresswell Crags Museum

The objects excavated from the caves at Creswell Crags and from the wider Creswell Heritage Area are stored in the Creswell Crags Museum, which holds a collection of nearly 40 000 objects, approximately 80 per cent of which are bones. The palaeontological collection is composed of subfossils that date back to the late Pleistocene (125 000 BP) and include the remains of a large range of mammal, bird, amphibian, fish and mollusc species.  

In addition to being used for exhibition display, the fossils from Creswell Crags Museum collections are used for research purposes. BGS is currently collaborating on one such research project, the NERC-funded ‘Nature of the beast’, with Prof Danielle Schreve at Royal Holloway, University of London. The project is investigating past and present diets of European wolves. 

Why are we studying wolves and their diet? 

Wolves are one of the northern hemisphere top predators, keeping populations of their prey in check and positively influencing overall biodiversity through their activities. However, the wolf (Canis lupis) is an endangered species in Europe and concerns exist as to the viability of European wolf populations as environmental and climate conditions change. The overarching aim of the ‘Nature of the beast’ project is to assess the effect of forcing factors such as changes in climate, environment, the prey community and carnivore competition on the feeding behaviours of wolves. 

One of the best ways to investigate the adaptability of any animal, including wolves, is through the study of their dietary behaviour. Diet is closely linked to climate and environment, which determine the available prey species and which predators are competing for resources on those same landscapes. This project employs a multi-proxy approach that combines dental microwear texture analysis, isotope analysis, cranio-dental morphology and analysis of scat to reconstruct wolf diets from the late Pleistocene and throughout the Holocene (the current warm period). 

Dental microwear texture analysis

Dental microwear textural analysis (DMTA) is a way of investigating features on the biting surface of teeth. DMTA uses three-dimensional technology to image the tooth surface, which can be measured with specialised software in an unbiased way that is independent of human observer errors. Once measured, tooth surface features can show the extent to which carnivores are consuming meat or processing carcasses more fully, in other words, assessing the flesh-to-bone ratio of their diets.  

One way to think about how we analyse dental microwear is to consider animals that populate the extremes of the carnivore dietary behaviour continuum today. For example, the spotted hyena consumes a lot of bone as part of its natural behaviour; on the other hand, the cheetah primarily consumes flesh and prefer fresh kills.

Wolves fall on this spectrum somewhere between hyenas and cheetahs, and are known to flex their diet according to their surroundings. Observations from modern wolves have shown that they do consume some bone and prefer greasy, less dense, marrow-rich bones. Dental microwear studies of modern and ancient wolves confirm this dietary behaviour.

However, when unable to access their preferred prey species (likely due to limited prey availability in their surroundings) wolves scavenge more intensively, resulting in dental textures that indicate elevated amounts of bone in their diet. Scavenging is part of the flexible dietary behaviour of wolves, which is reflected in their dental microwear and can inform our understanding of past environmental conditions, such as the size and availability of prey species.  

Initial project results  

A key goal of this research is to understand how wolves have adapted to changing circumstances in the past, so that current and future conservation policy can be appropriately tailored. Preliminary results have shown that, when temperatures were colder, the dental microwear of wolves indicates high flesh consumption. Inversely, when temperatures were warmer, wolves increased scavenging behaviour (consuming more bone). 

Creswell Crags Museum collections hold fossil bones of wolves dating back 40 000 years. Some of these fossils were discovered due to a rock fall near the Dog Hole cave in 1978, along with bones of a diverse range of other animals including lynx, cow, horse and wild boar. They have since been used to provide evidence of a complex sequence of prehistoric animal occupation within the area. 

Three individual wolves have been analysed for dental microwear and represent one glacial and one interglacial period. The results from Creswell Crags will be combined with data collected from other museum fossils across the UK, including the collection housed at BGS, and spanning the entirety of the late Pleistocene to the Holocene.  

About the authors

Dr Diksha Bista

Dr Angela Lamb

Dr Amanda Burtt (Royal Holloway, University of London) 

(Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre) 

Prof Danielle Schreve (Royal Holloway, University of London)

Studying the diet of an animal that roams the Earth today is relatively straightforward. Their eating habits can be easily tracked and their food sources monitored using their faecal matter (‘scat’). But how do you study the diet of animals that have been dead for thousands of years? The NERC/51ÁÔÆæ-funded project ‘Hungry like a wolf’, carried out by BGS together with Royal Holloway University London, aims to do exactly that: study the diets of wolves that lived in Britain during the last 250 000 years.

Investigating ancient animals’ diets

The project adopts the adage ‘we are what we eat’. The type of diets an animal consumes are imprinted on the wear and tear on their teeth and the stable isotope signature in their body tissues. For animals that are no longer alive, studying these signatures in fossil bones and teeth provides a window into the animal diet and consequently into how their diets have changed over time with fluctuating climatic and ecological conditions. The project aims to understand how wolves have adapted to changing environments by comparing the diet of past (10 000 to 250 000 years) and present wolves, along with other predators and prey from different locations across Europe.

Top ice age predators

Although they were the first animals to be domesticated by humans, wolves were well-established members of the Pleistocene (ice age) carnivore community in Europe. As one of the top predators, wolves keep the populations of their prey in check and, as a knock-on effect, affect the biodiversity of other predators in the area as well as other animal and plant species further down the food chain by limiting over-predation and over-browsing on vegetation. Wolves are therefore considered the most influential large predator in the northern Eurasia region.  

Project aims

Unfortunately, many surviving populations of these charismatic animals are today endangered because of human persecution and environmental change. Serious concerns exist as to the viability of European wolf populations under different scenarios of environmental and climate change. It is therefore essential to understand how wolves have adapted to changing circumstances in the past, so that current and future conservation policy can be appropriately tailored.

The project is being carried out by Dr Angela Lamb and Dr Diksha Bista at BGS, together with Prof Danielle Schreve, Dr Fabienne Pigière and Dr Amanda Burtt (Royal Holloway University London). It will involve museum collections from across the UK.

The collections housed here at BGS were some of the first to be analysed. These collections comprise Quaternary (up to 2.58 million years ago) subfossil bone material that has been held in the museum since the late 1800s. Specimens were collected from Ilford by Richard Payne Cotton and donated in 1877, whilst those from Crayford are from the collection of Frederick Spurrell, donated in 1894.

Although the material was collected over 150 years ago, advancing research technologies allow us to uncover new information that can enhance our understanding of past environments and ecosystems. Even though the subsampling involves removing a small amount of material from the selected bones, the insights gained from the analysis can add significantly to the understanding of the fossils held in the collection since the Victorian era.

Louise Neep, BGS Museum Curator.

Laboratory analysis

In the laboratory, collagen will be extracted from the bones and analysed for nitrogen (N), carbon (C) and sulfur (S) isotopes. Recent technical developments within the Stable Isotope Facility now allow the measurement of these isotopes on a significantly smaller amount of collagen (10 times smaller). This advance means much less sample needs to be removed from the fossils, thus preserving the integrity of precious museum specimens.

Acknowledgements

We’d like to thank Paul Shepherd (collections manager) and Simon Harris (conservator) for their support with the project.

About the authors

Deposits on upland hillslopes are formed by a range of processes like debris flows, rock falls, slope wash and soil creep. The movement of sediment by these processes occurs over days, years or decades and can have far-reaching implications. Over geological timescales it can influence the relief of mountain ranges, but on human timescales it is also a potential geohazard affecting roads, bridges, and reservoirs, and a key factor in managing river habitats and water quality.  

Faults are important geological features, even when they are no longer active tectonic structures. They are often associated with highly fractured ‘damage zones’ that are relatively weak, providing abundant source material for slope processes and acting as conduits for groundwater flow. We investigated how faults control the types of deposits that are produced on upland slopes by weathering and erosion, and how the direction of a fault intersection with a hillside influences the way sediment is mobilised and transported to rivers and reservoirs.  

Study area: Tweedsmuir Hills, Scotland

In the Tweedsmuir Hills, in Scotland Southern Uplands, the rolling upland landscape is bisected by a series of brittle faults comprising highly fractured damage zones in the otherwise hard, metasedimentary rocks. The study area, at the head of the Talla Reservoir, provides a prime opportunity to compare the geomorphological imprint of slope-oblique faults that traverse across a slope at a low angle (roughly perpendicular to the slope direction) with that of slope-parallel faults (roughly parallel to the slope direction).  

Faults that traverse slopes at low angles are associated with enhanced regolith (weathered bedrock) production, which forms a more-or less continuous spread of colluvial deposits (loose sediments that move downslope under gravity) across the slope. Sediment transfer to the valley floor is limited because topographical breaks associated with the slope-crossing structures disrupt gully systems and inhibit sediment ‘flow’ downslope.

By contrast, slope-parallel faults are associated with more focused erosion along fault zones, giving rise to a deep and well-connected gully system. The alignment of slope and fault directions creates positive feedback, which enhances downslope erosion and transport to the valley floor. This feedback has resulted in approximately 20 times more rock being eroded per metre of fault length than in the slope-oblique fault system. 

Influence on infrastructure design

The movement of sediment is associated with geohazards such as debris flows and rock falls as well as slope instability that can damage upland transport, energy and water infrastructure. However, sediment movement on slopes is a natural part of how our landscape behaves and interrupting or altering the flow of sediment from hillslopes into streams can affect river environments and habitats, and influence water quality in reservoirs.

Understanding the mechanisms of active slope processes and their distributions within the landscape is necessary to ensure we can design effective approaches for managing both the impact of moving sediment on our built infrastructure, and the effect this infrastructure has on our rivers and reservoirs.

Another way of looking at it is that every slope has its own story. Our work in Talla demonstrates how geomorphological mapping and quantitative field analysis can be used to help understand the dynamics of slope systems, adding to our knowledge of the ‘language’ of slopes. By understanding how their past geological history influences their present processes, we can learn to better ‘read’ slopes and ensure we develop more positive relationships with them.

About the authors

Reference

Whitbread, K, Thomas, C, and Finlayson, A. 2023. The influence of bedrock faulting and fracturing on sediment availability and Quaternary slope systems, Talla, Southern Uplands, Scotland, UK. Proceedings of Geologists’ Association, in press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2023.11.003