Multi-criteria characterisation of buried incised valleys and late Quaternary landscape evolution south of Dogger Bank, southern North Sea

Buried incised valleys are prominent features in the southern North Sea that preserve a detailed record of Quaternary landscape evolution, yet their origin, timing and infill remain poorly documented. Their presence provides key evidence for reconstructing the paleolandscape and for understanding the role of glacial-interglacial processes in both valley formation and regional evolution. Here, we integrate 2D high-resolution acoustic reflection data with extant 3D seismic data and multivariable morphometric clustering to map and classify a dense network of buried incisions south of Dogger Bank. Three morphostratigraphic generations of incised valleys are identified, each reflecting distinct erosional and depositional processes, with their chronology remaining relative and constrained by seismo-stratigraphic correlation. The oldest, Generation 1, forms linear V-shaped valleys interpreted as Weichselian subglacial channel systems formed by meltwater erosion, probably during a pre-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) glaciation. Generation 2 comprises a U-shaped depression carved by direct ice-marginal processes probably at the LGM, and likely infilled with glaciolacustrine sediments. The youngest, Generation 3 forms a complex network of sinuous, branching channels that locally reoccupy older incisions developed under fluvial, estuarine or tidal conditions upon deglaciation during the late Weichselian to early Holocene. Together, these features record repeated phases of erosion and infill, progressing from subglacial to ice-marginal and finally subaerial settings, defining a three-stage landscape evolution from the Weichselian glaciation to the Holocene. The integrated approach applied here enables detailed mapping and an objective classification of buried incisions, revealing a more intricate valley network than previously documented. It demonstrates that landscape transformation in the southern North Sea was controlled by complex subglacial conditions, meltwater routing, ice-margin dynamics and post-glacial drainage reorganisation.