Abstract:
The nature of this research is to investigate paleoseismic deformation of glacial
soft sediments from three sampling sites throughout the Scottish Highlands; Arrat's
Mills, Meikleour and Glen Roy. The paleoseismic evidence investigated in this research
will provide a basis for applying criteria to soft sediment deformation structures, and the
trigger mechanisms that create these structures. Micromorphology is the tool used in this
to investigate paleoseismic deformation structures in thin section. Thin section analysis,
(micromorphology) of glacial sediments from the three sampling sites is used to
determine microscale evidence of past earthquakes that can be correlated to modem-day
events and possibly lead to a better understanding of the impact of earthquakes
throughout a range of sediment types. The significance of the three sampling locations is
their proximity to two major active fault zones that cross Scotland. The fault zones are
the Highland Boundary Fault and the Great Glen Fault, these two major faults that
parallel each other and divide the country in half Sims (1975) used a set of seven criteria
that identified soft sediment deformation structures created by a magnitude six
earthquake in Cahfomia. Using criteria set forth by Sims (1975), the paleoseismic
evidence can be correlated to the magnitude of the deformation structures found in the
glacial sediments. This research determined that the microstructures at Arrat's Mill,
Meikleour and Glen Roy are consistent with a seismically induced origin. It has also
been demonstrated that, even without the presence of macrostructures, the use of
micromorphology techniques in detecting such activity within sediments is of immense
value.
