The evolution of periglacial patterned ground in East Anglia, UK

During the Late Pleistocene, East Anglia experienced multiple cycles of periglacial activity. This research investigates whether chalkland patterned ground infilled with coversand developed during one or more glacial cycles or only during the last period of intensive periglacial activity to affect lowland Britain. Single grain luminescence ages from polygons and stripes at six sites in East Anglia suggest that the patterns experienced multiple phases of activity during the last 90–10 ka but do not date back to earlier glacial cycles. This activity is attributed to four main phases: (1) ∼55–60 ka, (2) ∼31–35 ka, (3) ∼20–22 ka and (4) ∼11–12 ka. Most sites show some activity around the Greenland Stadial 2a and the Younger Dryas Stadial, but polygons show a longer, more temporally and spatially varied record than stripes. Interpreted phases of activity mostly coincide with stadials within the last glacial–interglacial cycle, possibly at the end of climatic cold phases.