Geological and geomorphological characterisation of West Cumbria

已知坎布里亚西部地区在第四纪受到不同冰期的影响。在最后一次英国和爱尔兰冰原（BIIS）期间，该地区被许多冰流排干，它受到快速流动的爱尔兰海冰流（ISIS）通道的影响，也可能受到湖区局部冰推进的影响。尽管最近人们努力更好地描绘BIIS的最后一个进退阶段，它的冰川地层学和地貌特征，但关于坎布里亚郡西部的冰川演化和对这一沿海地区地质的理解仍然存在争议。本博士学位的目的是扩大迄今为止沿着西坎布里亚开展的工作，并将这种地质和地貌的理解与过程-沉积物/形式关系的正确知识，对前气候和环境变化历史的理解以及冰川动力学整合到一个区域第四纪地质模型中，以共同支持该地区的核许可站点。该项目将确定评估方法，包括需要对历史侵入和地球物理数据集进行质量控制，并确定该地区可能存在的浅层矿床类型和地貌的诊断标准，以支持后来的地质和地貌解释。地貌和剖面测井野外工作将在初始地貌区域地图的基础上进行，确定对地图所示事件具有复杂性/高度重要性的潜在区域。这项工作将有助于进一步发展区域地貌图，评估从区域钻孔记录和剖面测井中确定的沉积物组合，并确定适当的沉积物-地貌组合。这种理解将通过地貌图进行外推。这项工作的目的是试图从获得许可的地点的地面模型推断出更广泛地区的三维地质表面。该项目属于EPSRC能源研究领域，特别是核裂变主题，因为它涉及英国两家核场地许可证公司的长期发展：低水平废物储存库和西坎布里亚郡的塞拉菲尔德。该项目将进一步研究西坎布里亚的第四纪地质。该项目也可能与EPSRC有关气候变化的研究领域有关，因为它也将重点关注该地区的地貌学对海平面变化的影响。

It is known that the western Cumbria region was affected by different glacial phases in the Quaternary. During the last British and Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) the area was drained by numerous ice streams, it was affected by the passage of the fast-flowing Irish Sea Ice Stream (ISIS) and possibly by localised ice advances from the Lake District. Despite recent efforts to better depict the last BIIS phases of advance/retreat, its glacial stratigraphy and geomorphological signature, there is still debate on the glacial evolution of western Cumbria and the understanding of the geology of this coastal region. The aim of this PhD is to expand the work so far undertaken along the west Cumbrian and to integrate this geological and geomorphological understanding with the correct knowledge of process-sediment/form relationships, understanding of former climate and environmental change history, and glacial dynamics into a regional Quaternary geological model to collectively support nuclear licensed sites in this area. This project will define assessment approaches, including need for quality control of historical intrusive and geophysics datasets and define diagnostic criteria for superficial deposit types and geomorphology that may be present in the region to support latter geological and geomorphological interpretations. Geomorphological and section logging fieldwork will take place based on initial geomorphological regional map identifying potential areas of complexity/high significance to events suggested by the map. Work will enable the further development of the regional geomorphological map with assessment of sediment assemblages identified from regional borehole records and section logging and identify appropriate sediment-landform assemblages. This understanding will be extrapolated across the geomorphological map. The aim of this work will be to attempt to extrapolate three-dimensional geological surfaces from the ground models of the licensed sites into the wider area. This project falls within the EPSRC Energy research area, and specifically within the Nuclear Fission theme, as it relates to the long term evolution of two of the UK's nuclear Site Licence Companies: the Low Level Waste Repository and Sellafield, in West Cumbria. The project will further existing research into the Quaternary geology of West Cumbria. The project is also likely to have relevance to the EPSRC research areas pertaining to climate change, as it will also focus on the geomorphology of the area with respect to effects of sea-level change.