Glacial Deposits

Why is so much of Great Britain good for farming?

Scotland’s unique landscape is in the spotlight during this session on glaciology. Great Britain’s icy history continues to influence its contemporary makeup, especially in regards to arable soil and nutrient deposits. 

As glaciers move around, they leave behind a good deal of gravel, sand, and mud. Some of this debris comes from material that was previously frozen in or stuck to the glacier and falls free, but the majority of it is made by the glacier’s motion: heavy glaciers grind up the ground beneath them while they shift. What’s left behind through this process is called glacial till. Thanks to its composition (both physically, in the way it’s ground up and chemically, in the diverse nutrients it holds), glacial till can be especially good for agriculture.

Scotland has a strong agricultural sector thanks in large part to its glacial history - both because of its soil makeup and because of its diverse landscape. 

Read more about the importance of Scotland’s soil on this page from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

McKirdy, Alan and Crofts, Roger. 1999. Scotland: The Creation of its Natural Landscape: A Landscape Fashioned by Geology. Published by Scottish Natural Heritage.