Scottish landform example no. 47: isolation basins of Arisaig

An isolation basin is a geomorphological landform that enables the precise reconstruction of the former height and age of relative sea level. A series of isolation basins at different elevations within a small geographical area can provide a high-resolution record of the timing and magnitude of relative sea-level change. Arisaig, on the west coast of Scotland, provides the longest post-Last Glacial Maximum record of relative sea-level change in the UK, produced from the analysis of a series of 16 isolation basins. The records produced from these basins continue to provide important constraints that inform understanding of processes acting from local to global scales, such as glacial and climatic transitions, glacio-isostatic adjustment and global meltwater pulses.