Periglacial Involutions and the Evidence for Coversands in the English Midlands

SUMMARY Involutions from various sites are characterised by pockets and balls of medium sand contained within varying clay substrates – tills and lacustrine clays. Their spacing varies from 1–2 m and the involutions may extend downwards to a depth of 2.5 m. Mechanical analysis of sand samples and geomorphological context suggests that they are aeolian and the remnant of a previous layer of coversands. The involutions appear to be associated with permafrost and are likely to be late Devensian in age.