With the increasing awareness of environmental problems, there is a growing desire for a de¬tailed understanding of superficial deposits in general, and glacial deposits in particular. This is because these sediments have a profound influence on groundwater protection, waste management and nature conservation. They are also of vital importance to civil engineering, because they provide the foundation for, as well as the materials extracted to build our roads and buildings. The greater part of the British Isles was glaciated, at least once, during the Quater¬nary Era. In the regions subjected to glaciation, glacial deposits underlie much of the present land surface.

Although there have been many recent publica¬tions on various Quaternary geological topics, the present volume is the first dedicated to a detailed assessment of the glacial deposits of Britain and Ireland. After introductory chapters presenting the glacial history, the sedimentary sequences in 24 critical regions are discussed. These regions include all of Ireland, the gla¬ciated area of Great Britain, and the adjoining offshore region of the North Sea. The controver¬sial evolution of the Irish Sea Basin during the Last Glaciation is discussed from various view¬points. A collection of 'critical topics' presented in the later part of the book range from the classification of glacigenic landforms and de¬posits to the results of geophysical, geotechnical and geochemical analyses.

The book includes 368 figures, 40 tables and 51 colour photographs, a detailed index and a list of over 1000 references. With 45 contributions by 48 scientists, this volume represents a truly contemporary view of this field of research. To¬gether with its companion volume the Glacial deposits in North-West Europe, this book pro¬vides an excellent textbook for the advanced student or the amateur, as well as an indispen¬sible source- and guidebook for the professional scientist.