Two-stage opening of the Dover Strait and the origin of island Britain

Sanjeev Gupta (), Jenny S. Collier, David Garcia-Moreno, Francesca Oggioni, Alain Trentesaux, Kris Vanneste, Marc De Batist, Thierry Camelbeeck, Graeme Potter, Brigitte Van Vliet-Lanoë and John C. R. Arthur
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Sanjeev Gupta: Imperial College, South Kensington Campus
Jenny S. Collier: Imperial College, South Kensington Campus
David Garcia-Moreno: Service of Seismology and Gravimetry, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan, 3
Francesca Oggioni: Imperial College, South Kensington Campus
Alain Trentesaux: UMR 8187 LOG CNRS/UFR des Sciences de la Terre, Université de Lille 1, Villeneuve d’Ascq, Plouzané, Lille F-59650, France
Kris Vanneste: Service of Seismology and Gravimetry, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan, 3
Marc De Batist: Renard Centre of Marine Geology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281s.8
Thierry Camelbeeck: Service of Seismology and Gravimetry, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan, 3
Graeme Potter: 5 Snowberry Court, Warwick Gardens
Brigitte Van Vliet-Lanoë: UMR CNRS 6538 CNRS Géosciences Océan, Université de Bretagne occidentale, IUEM, Plouzané, F-29280, France
John C. R. Arthur: Top-Hole Site Studies Ltd

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Late Quaternary separation of Britain from mainland Europe is considered to be a consequence of spillover of a large proglacial lake in the Southern North Sea basin. Lake spillover is inferred to have caused breaching of a rock ridge at the Dover Strait, although this hypothesis remains untested. Here we show that opening of the Strait involved at least two major episodes of erosion. Sub-bottom records reveal a remarkable set of sediment-infilled depressions that are deeply incised into bedrock that we interpret as giant plunge pools. These support a model of initial erosion of the Dover Strait by lake overspill, plunge pool erosion by waterfalls and subsequent dam breaching. Cross-cutting of these landforms by a prominent bedrock-eroded valley that is characterized by features associated with catastrophic flooding indicates final breaching of the Strait by high-magnitude flows. These events set-up conditions for island Britain during sea-level highstands and caused large-scale re-routing of NW European drainage.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15101

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