till, gravel, and sand, and angular débris in the low-grounds, up
to insignificant heaps and scatterings of rock-rubbish and angular
boulders at the higher levels of the country.
Several more or less extensive flats in the hill-valleys indicate the
former presence of lakes which have become obliterated by the action of
the streams. But by far the most conspicuous example of such silted-up
lakes is that of the Kale valley, to which reference has already
been made. In the later stages of the Ice Age that river-valley must
have existed as a lake from Marlfield up to and beyond Morebattle.
Indeed, there is evidence to show that even within historical times a
considerable lake overspread the flat grounds in this neighbourhood.
The name _Morebattle_ is supposed to mean the "village by the lake,"
and, up to a few years ago, there was a sheet of water called Linton
Loch a little to the east of Morebattle. But this has been drained by
the proprietor, and is now represented by only two insignificant pools.
The present course of the Kale between Marlfield and Kalemouth is of
post-glacial age--the old pre-glacial and interglacial course being
filled up with drifted materials. As the appearances at this place are
somewhat typical of many of the valleys of the Cheviot district, I may
briefly summarise the history of the Morebattle lake.
Before the advent of the last great age of ice the Kale would seem
to have flowed from Marlfield, close to the line now followed by the
turnpike road as far as Easter Wooden, after which it passed near the
present sites of Blinkbonny and Mosstower, and so on to the Teviot,
which it joined some little distance above Kalemouth. During the Ice
Age many of the old river-courses were completely choked up with clay,
stones, and gravel, so that when the ice melted away the rivers did
not always or even often regain their old channels. Thus, in the
case of the Kale, we find that the present course of the river below
Marlfield is of recent or post-glacial age, having been excavated by
the river since the close of the glacial epoch. The old or pre-glacial
course lies completely choked up and concealed under the rubbish shot
into it at a time when glacier-ice filled all the valley of the Kale
down to Marlfield. At this latter place the Kale glacier seems to have
made a considerable pause--it ceased for some time to retreat--and
thus a heavy bank of gravel, sand, shingle, earth, blocks, and angular
rubbish gathered in front of it, and obliterated the old river-course
into which they were dropped. When the glacier at last disappeared, a
lake was formed above the morainic dam that closed the valley below
Marlfield, and the outflow of the lake took place at a point lying
some little distance to the north of the old or pre-glacial course of
the Kale. By slow degrees the river excavated a new channel for itself
in the Old Red Sandstone rocks, and in doing so gradually lowered the
level of the waters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account