Glacial erosion
Shetland supported ice caps and local glaciers of various sizes during the Pleistocene. The ice shed lay over or just east of the islands and appears to have fluctuated in position as ice masses built up and melted (Ross, 1996). Many parts of Shetland show evidence of significant glacial erosion but the character of the glaciated terrain varies markedly across different rock types.
The archipelago also shows many fine examples of certain types of glacial landforms:
- glacial valleys
- roches moutonnées
- striated rock surfaces
Perhaps the most
spectacular features are the fjords but the intricacies of their form can only
be appreciated fully with the aid of bathymetric maps.