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It is a scientist's mission to try to remain unbiased. However, certain factors play a role in scientific analyses that are not controlled by conscious thought. These factors are potentially very important in areas of science where interpretations are based on a scientist's ability to identify patterns or structures. One such area is the micromorphology of glacial sediments. In this paper we investigate the role of an analyst's experience in relation to pattern perception with specific reference to turbate microstructures in glacial diamictons. An experiment was conducted on 52 participants, which demonstrated that, as may be expected, more experienced (glacial) micromorphologists tend to exhibit a higher sensitivity-to-signal, but that complete novices, if given clear instructions, can reach levels of sensitivity similar to those of experts. It also showed, perhaps more surprisingly, that response bias does not decrease with experience. We discuss psychological factors, such as the drive for success and consistency, that may have contributed to these results and investigate their possible implications in the micromorphological analysis and interpretation of glacial sediments.

Four typical arrangements for relating faith to schooling were developed in Canada during the nineteenth century. All resulted from compromises between the assimilating traditions of Christian Constantinianism and Enlightenment liberalism. These arrangements only reluctantly accommodate the religious diversity within society. Although scholars classify Alberta's system as non-sectarian public schooling with minority denominational districts, evidence suggests the advent of a new pragmatic pluriform public school system. This new system contains many types of school authorities and structures; all but one permit some form of faith-based schooling. A broad spectrum of faiths is expressed within these school authorities. (Contains 8 notes and 1 table.)

The Canadian province of Alberta runs a unique school system that offers ten options for school plurality and choice, nine of which provide some form of faith-based schooling. This article argues that Alberta has created a pragmatic version of a "pluriform school system." This system breaks with the assumption, shared by many Christian school supporters, that faith-based schooling ought to be delivered in the private sphere. The article describes these options for choice, identifies the historical motivators that sparked efforts to pluralize the system, and lists the key consequences and problems flowing from this system.

Northern high-alpine regions are currently experiencing rapid warming, which often results in the degradation of sub-surface permafrost and the upslope advancement of vegetation. The present study combines remotely sensed MODIS Land Surface Temperatures (LSTs) and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) with observed air temperatures to model the thermal and vegetational dynamics in NE Jotunheimen (Norway) for the period 1957–2019. An altitudinal transect on the north-facing slope of Galdhøpiggen was used for ground truthing. Results indicate a substantial warming trend since the late 1950s, accompanied by increased NDVI. The spatial and temporal patterns of observed change were not uniform. Winter surface temperatures increased most rapidly, by 2.4–2.8°C at mid- and low altitudes (600–1500 m a.s.l.). The highest increases in NDVI (by ∼0.1) were detected during the growing season (April–September) and over the mid-range altitudes (1050–1500 m a.s.l.), that is, above the tree line on Galdhøpiggen. We attribute this to increased shrubification at these altitudes. Our results confirm that the surface temperatures near the previously estimated lower altitudinal limit of permafrost (∼1450 m a.s.l.) have continued to increase during the past decade, likely facilitating further permafrost degradation. Finally, we demonstrate that mapping remotely sensed mean growing season LSTs below 0°C can be used to identify areas suitable for continuous sub-surface permafrost, and mean June–September LSTs above 7°C can detect areas suitable for tree (Betula pubescens) growth in NE Jotunheimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a long‐term understanding of the cryosphere is important in the study of past climatic change. Here we used a nested approach combining diverse instrumental (monthly meteorological data from four weather stations, as well as gridded data) and proxy data (based on blue intensity measurements from local tree ring records) to create a reconstruction of past summer temperature for the central Jotunheimen area in southern Norway. This record was then used to reconstruct annual glacier mass balance from 1962, the start of the yearly measurements, back to 1722, immediately prior to the regional Little Ice Age maximum. Our reconstruction of the 'average' Jotunheimen cumulative glacier mass balance is based on three representative glaciers (Storbreen, Hellstugubreen and Gråsubreen) that were synthesized into one composite record which we term 'Gjennomsnittsbreen' ('mean glacier' in Norwegian) to filter out localized controls on the behaviour of individual glaciers. While not ignoring the role of precipitation on glacier mass balance, our reconstruction demonstrates that glaciers in this region exhibit a strong summer temperature control and appear to have been declining more or less continuously since the mid‐18th century. However, it also shows that this long‐term trend of overall retreat in Jotunheimen is punctuated by relatively short‐lived periods of neutral or occasionally positive glacier mass balance, signifying periods of stillstand or small‐scale glacier advance. These periods or 'events' in our reconstruction were compared with an independent record of 12 moraine‐building events developed using lichenometry. A minimum of 10 of the moraine‐building events identifiable in our reconstruction were also identifiable in the lichenometric data which affords confidence in the performance of our interrogative model. A critical implication of this successful glacier mass balance reconstruction based on just summer temperature is that for Jotunheimen – in contrast to Norwegian maritime glaciers further to the west – there is no need (as was proposed in some previous studies) to invoke large, prolonged increases in winter snowfall to explain glacier advances, not even for events such as the Little Ice Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An environmental reconstruction based on palynological evidence preserved in peat was carried out to examine late-Holocene alpine tree line dynamics in the context of past climatic changes on Galdhøpiggen (Jotunheimen, southern Norway). We analysed a peat core taken from a mire at the present-day tree line (1000 m a.s.l.), c. 450 m downslope from the lower limit of sporadic permafrost. We adopted a combination of commonly used indicators of species' local presence to reconstruct past vegetation assemblages, such as the relative pollen abundance (%), pollen accumulation rate (PAR), and presence of indicator species. Additionally, fossil pollen from the peat sequence was compared to modern pollen from a surface moss polster to establish a modern analogue. The results were compared with studies covering the late-Holocene climatic changes in the area. The reconstruction demonstrates that a pine-dominated woodland reached above the present-day tree line at c. 4300 cal. yr BP, suggesting a warmer climate suitable for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) growth at this altitude. Scots pine retreated to lower altitudes between c. 3400 and 1700 cal. yr BP, accompanied by the descent of the low-alpine shrub-dominated belt, in response to cooling climatic conditions. The colder period covered c. 1700–170 cal. yr BP, and an open downy birch (Betula pubescens) woodland became widespread at 1000 m a.s.l., whilst pine remained sparse at this altitude. From c. 170 cal. yr BP onwards, warming allowed pine to re-establish its local presence alongside downy birch at 1000 m a.s.l. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1958 and 1967, neo-Calvinist immigrants resisted the assimilating pressure of Alberta's liberal-inspired public school system by arguing that public funding should be extended to independent schools. This essay analyzes how neo-Calvinist ideas about the nature of society, the place of religion in public life, the purpose of schools, and the state's task in regards to plurality directly challenged mainstream thinking on these issues. The essay argues that the neo-Calvinists believed their new idea of a pluriform public order created space for Albertans to imagine public policies that could escape the assimilating tendencies of mainstream liberalism. Entre 1958 et 1967, les immigrants neo-calvinistes ont resiste aux pressions assimilatrices du systeme liberal d'ecoles publiques de l'Alberta en affirmant que les fonds publics devraient egalement financer les ecoles independantes. Le present article analyse comment les idees neo-calvinistes portant sur la nature de la societe, la place de la religion dans la vie publique, la raison d'etre des ecoles et la tache de l'etat en matiere de pluralite ont directement influe sur la facon de penser du grand public sur ces sujets. L'article avance que les Neo-calvinistes croyaient que leur nouvelle idee d'un ordre public pluriforme permettait aux Albertains d'imaginer des politiques publiques qui pourraient echapper aux tendances assimilatrices du liberalisme conventionnel.

Whilst there has been a recent appreciation for the role of open‐system pingos in providing a fluid‐flow conduit through continuous permafrost that enables methane release, the formation and internal structure of these ubiquitous permafrost‐diagnostic landforms remains unclear. Here, we combine active‐source seismic measurements with electrical resistivity tomography to investigate the structural and subsurface characteristics of an incipient open‐system pingo actively emitting methane within the glacio‐isostatically uplifting fjord valley of Adventdalen, Svalbard. Wavefront inversion of seismic refractions delineate a spatially heterogeneous active layer, whilst deeper reflections identify the lithological boundaries between marine sediments and underlying shales at ∼68 m depth (p‐wave velocity of ∼1,790 ms−1). Low geometric mean inverted resistivities of 40–150 Ωm highlight the dominance of saline permafrost, whilst elevated resistivities (∼2 kΩm) occur close to the groundwater spring and in heaved areas around the pingo. Based on our results, we speculate that segregation ice dominates the pingo structure, given the absence of a notable resistivity contrast characteristic of injection ice that is typically expected within early open‐system pingo formation, and provides the most plausible geomorphic agent within the local fine‐grained sedimentology. Our results thereby indicate that sediment grain size and moisture availability can provide important controls on pingo formation. This study shows that open‐system pingos in coastal, saline permafrost environments may form differently, with implications for localized permafrost structure, its permeability to underlying gas reservoirs and consequent methane release. Plain Language Summary: Considerable amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can flow through ground which is permanently below freezing (permafrost) through dome‐shaped landforms called open‐system pingos. These landforms occur in the lowlands of mountainous cold regions, from water under pressure from deep underground. However, the formation and internal structure of these landforms are unclear. We use geophysical techniques involving seismic waves and electrical resistivity to characterize the internal structure of a young pingo in Svalbard. Our seismic investigation find a seasonally thawing (active) layer with a variable thickness, and a deeper reflection at ∼68 m which we interpret as the boundary between marine sediments and bedrock. Meanwhile, relatively low electrical resistivities indicate that the ground is saline, and suggest an internal structure that is dominated by discrete layers of ice known as segregated ice, as opposed to a large body of ice which is ordinarily expected. Our results indicate that sediment grain size and moisture availability are important controls on pingo formation. This is important as there may be differences in how these pingos form, and this will impact the structure of local frozen ground and in how they allow the escape of methane stored deep beneath the permafrost. Key Points: Seismic refraction, reflection and electrical resistivity tomography are used to characterize a coastal methane‐emitting incipient pingoLow resistivities and geomorphology preclude massive ice presence, and indicate segregation ice dominates early pingo internal structureSedimentology and moisture availability are critical controls on early pingo formation, and causes plurality within pingo structures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether Arctic and alpine ecosystems will act as a future net sink or source of carbon remains uncertain. The present study investigates ways in which ecosystem (soil and vegetation) and geomorphological (cryogenic disturbance) factors may control or affect the future release of carbon in an alpine permafrost landscape. Rates of ecosystem respiration (Re) were examined using a portable gas analyzer across an altitudinal transect ranging from mid‐ to high‐alpine vegetation zones underlain by discontinuous to continuous permafrost on Galdhøpiggen (Norway). Measurements were made of Re during the peak growing season on active and relict sorted circles exhibiting varying levels of frost disturbance and shrub encroachment. Re was found to be controlled more strongly by soil microclimate and plant growth forms than by geomorphic indicators of cryoturbation in thawing permafrost or by atmospheric conditions. The results indicate that increasing shrub cover leads to elevated Re, while an increase in surface disturbance has the potential to lower Re. We conclude that vegetation is likely to colonize frost‐disturbed surfaces at progressively higher altitudes as freeze–thaw processes slow down or cease, and this will result in increased Re. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven snow-avalanche boulder fans were dated from two high-alpine sites in Jotunheimen using Schmidt-hammer exposure-age dating (SHD) and lichenometry. Average exposure ages of the surface boulders ranged from 2285 ± 725 to 7445 ± 1020 years and demonstrate the potential of SHD for dating active landforms and diachronous surfaces. Application of GIS-based morphometric analyses showed that the volume of rock material within 10 of the fans is accounted for by 16–68% of the combined volume of their respective bedrock chutes and transport zones. It is inferred that the fans were deposited entirely within the Holocene, mainly within the early- to mid Holocene, by frequent avalanches carrying very small debris loads. Relatively small transport-zone volumes are consistent with avalanches of low erosivity. Excess chute volumes appear to represent subaerial erosion in the Younger Dryas and possibly earlier. Debris supply to the fans was likely enhanced by early-Holocene paraglacial processes following deglaciation, and by later permafrost degradation associated with the mid-Holocene Thermal Maximum. The latter, together with the youngest SHD age from one of the fans, may presage a similar increase in geomorphic activity in response to current warming trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schmidt-hammer exposure-age dating (SHD) of boulders on cryoplanation terrace treads and associated bedrock cliff faces revealed Holocene ages ranging from 0 ± 825 to 8890 ± 1185 yr. The cliffs were significantly younger than the inner treads, which tended to be younger than the outer treads. Radiocarbon dates from the regolith of 3854 to 4821 cal yr BP (2σ range) indicated maximum rates of cliff recession of ~0.1 mm/yr, which suggests the onset of terrace formation before the last glacial maximum. Age, angularity, and size of clasts, together with planation across bedrock structures and the seepage of groundwater from the cliff foot, all support a process-based conceptual model of cryoplanation terrace development in which frost weathering leads to parallel cliff recession and, hence, terrace extension. The availability of groundwater during autumn freezeback is viewed as critical for frost wedging and/or the growth of segregation ice during prolonged winter frost penetration. Permafrost promotes cryoplanation by providing an impermeable frost table beneath the active layer, focusing groundwater flow, and supplying water for sediment transport by solifluction across the tread. Snow beds are considered an effect rather than a cause of cryoplanation terraces, and cryoplanation is seen as distinct from nivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large marine-terminating glaciers around the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet have retreated, accelerated and thinned over the last two decades. Relatively little is known about the longer term behaviour of the Greenland Ice Sheet, yet this information is valuable for assessing the significance of modern changes. We address this by reporting 11 new beryllium-10 (10Be) exposure ages from previously uninvestigated coastal areas across southeast Greenland. The new ages are combined with existing data from the region to assess the timing of glacier retreat after the Last Glacial Maximum. The results show that deglaciation occurred first in the north of the region (~68°N) and progressed southwards. This north-south progression is attributed to the influence of the warm Irminger Current on the ice margin. Areas in the south of the region were isolated from the warm waters by the shallow bathymetry of the continental shelf. This demonstrates that oceanographic forcing paced the deglaciation of southeast Greenland through the Younger Dryas and early Holocene. In most areas of southeast Greenland bedrock ages are systematically older than their counterpart boulder samples; this offset is likely the result of inherited 10Be content in bedrock surfaces. This suggests that subglacial erosion during the last glacial cycle was insufficient to completely remove pre-existing 10Be content. Alternatively, this pattern may be the signature of a substantial retreat and advance cycle prior to final Holocene deglaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bristol Channel, including onshore areas, is critical for reconstructing Pleistocene glacial limits in southwest Britain. Debate about the precise regional southern limits of Devensian (Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 2) and Anglian (OIS 12) glaciations has recently been rekindled. The Paviland Moraine (Llanddewi Formation), Gower, south Wales is conventionally regarded as Anglian in age. Its ‘old’ age has been based on reported highly weathered clasts, a subdued morphology and ‘field relationships’ to fossil beach sediments of now disputed age(s). Relatively little about its sedimentary characteristics has been previously published. This paper: (i) presents new sedimentological evidence including lithofacies analysis, XRF analysis and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) of sediment cores and electrical resistivity of a tied 3D field grid; (ii) re‐assesses the proposed ‘old’ age; (iii) suggests a likely depositional origin; and (iv) discusses implications for regional glacial dynamics and future research priorities. The sediments comprise mostly dipping glacigenic diamict units containing mainly Welsh Coalfield erratics. The location and subdued moraine morphology are attributed to the hydrological influence of the underlying limestone, the local topography and ice‐sheet behaviour rather than to long‐term degradation. Moraine formation is attributed mainly to sediment gravity flows that coalesced to produce an ice‐frontal apron. Neither geochemical data nor clasts indicate prolonged subaerial weathering and in‐situ moraine sediments are restricted to a limestone plateau above and inland of fossil beach sediments. We recommend rejecting the view that the moraine represents the only recognized OIS 12 deposit in Wales and conclude that instead it marks the limit of relatively thin Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice in west Gower. This requires revision of the accepted view of a more restricted LGM limit in the area. We suggest that substrate hydrological conditions may be a more influential factor in moraine location and form than is currently acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentary variation within and between annual moraine ridges formed at Storbreen and Styggedalsbreen, Jotunheimen, during the 1980s and 1990s is investigated with a focus on processes and mechanisms of moraine-ridge formation. Tops and bottoms of sediment slabs, deposited either as single annual moraines or incorporated into composite moraine ridges formed of several annual increments, were analysed and compared with possible source sediments with a view to sediment fingerprinting. Clast roundness and shape indicated mainly subglacial sediment origins while textural variability was mainly inherited from proglacial sediment sources, and macrofabrics and micromorphological characteristics revealed overprinting by various glaciofluvial, glaciolacustrine and periglacial processes. The evidence suggests one dominant mechanism of moraine-ridge formation involving the annual freeze-on and subsequent melt-out of overridden proglacial sediment slabs. This mechanism provides the basis of a simple model encompassing both singular and composite annual moraine-ridge formation, which appears appropriate for temperate glacier snouts characterized by deep seasonally frozen ground, close to the lower altitudinal limit of the zone of alpine permafrost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, the British- Irish Ice Sheet ( BIIS) was thought to have reached no farther than a mid-continental shelf position in the Hebrides Sector, NW Britain, during the last glaciation (traditional model). However, recent discovery of widespread shelf-edge moraines in this sector has led to a suggestion of much more extensive ice ( Atlantic Shelf model). The position of the St Kilda archipelago, approximately mid-way between the Outer Hebrides and the continental shelf edge, makes it ideal as an onshore location to test which of the two competing models is more viable. To this end, we (i) reassessed the characteristics, stratigraphy and morphology of the Quaternary sediments exposed on the largest island ( Hirta), and (ii) applied time-dependent 2 D numerical modelling of possible glacier formation on Hirta. Instead of three glaciations (as previously suggested), we identified evidence of only two, including one of entirely local derivation. The numerical model supports the view that this glaciation was in the form of two short glaciers occupying the two valleys that dominate Hirta. The good state of preservation of the glacial sediments and associated moraine of this local glaciation indicate relatively recent formation. In view of the low inferred equilibrium line altitude of the glacier associated with the best morphological evidence (∼120 m), considerable thickness of slope deposits outside the glacial limits and evidence of only one rather than two tills, a Late Devensian rather than Younger Dryas age is preferred for this glaciation. Re-examination of the submarine moraine pattern from available bathymetry suggests that the ice sheet was forced to flow around St Kilda, implying that the ice was of insufficient thickness to overrun the islands. Accepting this leaves open the possibility that a St Kilda nunatak supported local ice while the ice sheet extended to the continental shelf edge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the streaming flow of a palaeo-ice stream in the Antarctic Peninsula. It notes that ice streams tend to contribute to the mass balance and dynamic behaviour of ice sheets, adding that fast ice flow or ice streaming is a result of the deformation of soft substrate or by basal sliding across the bed. Findings indicate that basal sliding has caused the fast ice flow in the inner shelf area while deformation has been limited to discontinuous patches of soft till less than 40 centimeters (cm) thick. Results also show that the geomorphic imprint from the inner to outer shelf reflects the downstream transition of basal sliding to subglacial deformation as well as the increase of the velocity of ice-flow downstream.

Reinardy, B. T. I., Hiemstra, J. F., Murray, T., Hillenbrand, C.-D. & Larter, R. D. 2011: Till genesis at the bed of an Antarctic Peninsula palaeo-ice stream as indicated by micromorphological analysis. Boreas, Vol. 40, pp. 498-517. 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00199.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Sediment cores from cross-shelf troughs on the NE Antarctic Peninsula shelf recovered tills with variable shear strengths that represent different subglacial depositional regimes. In addition to detailed qualitative micromorphological descriptions, a quantitative method was applied, which revealed a higher abundance of boudins and intraclasts and a lower abundance of crushed and fractured grains in samples from the soft till compared with samples from the underlying stiff till. This is the first evidence of significant (micro-scale) differences between the two types of till and thus strengthens previous interpretations that were based primarily on shear strength. The differences between the soft and stiff till relate to a deforming continuum whereby the initial deposition of till as ice advanced across the shelf produced ductile structures before dewatering and compaction led to the formation of brittle structures such as crushed and fractured grains in the now stiff till. A change in ice-flow dynamics led to streaming flow and the deformation of the upper parts of the stiff till that was being reworked into a soft till. The soft till facilitated ice streaming, and progressive shearing led to the homogenization of the ice stream substrate, which was partially advected downstream. The resulting till thus contains poly-deformational structures, with deformation structures inherited from the stiff till being generally poorly preserved. Our micromorphological analysis of the soft till provides the first widespread sedimentological evidence of deformation across the palaeo-ice stream bed on the NE Antarctic Peninsula shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ó Cofaigh, C., Evans, D. J. A. & Hiemstra, J. F. 2010: Formation of a stratified subglacial 'till' assemblage by ice-marginal thrusting and glacier overriding. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2010.00177.x. ISSN 0300-9483. A thick sequence of glaciotectonically stacked till and outwash is preserved in a coastal embayment at Feohanagh, southwest Ireland. The sequence contains a variety of diamicton lithofacies, including laminated, stratified and massive components, but stratified diamictons dominate. Stratification/lamination is imparted by the presence of numerous closely spaced subhorizontal and anastomosing partings, which give a fissile appearance to the diamictons. Many partings are the result of sandy or thin gravelly layers within the diamictons. Some diamictons contain interbeds and lenses of sand, mud and gravel, which still preserve the original stratification. The sequence at Feohanagh is the product of a two-stage depositional process in which initial glaciolacustrine sedimentation in an ice-dammed lake was followed by glaciotectonic thrusting and overriding, during which the lake sediments were reworked and variably deformed. Similar late Quaternary sequences of glaciotectonically stacked stratified sediments and till have been described from around the coastal margins of Ireland and Britain, where they constitute glaciotectonite-subglacial traction till continuums rather than true lodgement tills as traditionally implied. Thick stratified diamicton assemblages are likely to occur in areas where steep topography provides pinning points for the glacier margin to stabilize and deliver large volumes of sediment into a glaciolacustrine or glaciomarine setting before proglacial and subglacial reworking of the sediment pile. The resulting geological-climatic unit, often defined as 'till', will contain a large amount of stratified and variably deformed material (laminated and stratified diamictons will be common), including intact sediment rafts, reflecting low strain rates and short sediment transport distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentological and structural geological data from two sites in southwest Ireland and Antarctica provide evidence for the formation of subglacial till by the brecciation and crushing of bedrock rafts. Up-sequence transitions, from undisturbed bedrock, to deformed bedrock, to crushed and brecciated bedrock, to massive matrix-supported till with far-travelled erratics, represent a process-form continuum of till production. Initially, bedrock fragments and rafts up to several metres in length are liberated from the substrate by glacitectonic thrusting and plucking. These rafts are then crushed to produce the matrix of a till. Such products are commonly referred to as comminution tills, although the original definition focused primarily on the second phase of the process (crushing of bedrock rafts and fragments) as well as abrasion of bedrock. Data from Ireland and Antarctica indicate that rafting of bedrock is an essential part of the process of till formation. This process is facilitated by weak sedimentary bedrock, which can be displaced along joints and bedding planes to form rafts that are then incorporated into the 'proto-till' prior to being crushed subglacially. Our field data suggest that bedrock failure and displacement of such rafts can occur to depths of 3 m. The occurrence of erratics in the uppermost part of the till demonstrates that the glacier effectively mixes far-travelled and local materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies of clast macrofabrics in glacigenic deposits have concentrated on A-axis orientations and dips, and a variety of control samples are available based upon such measurements. Like clast A-axes, A/B planes will also tend to rotate to parallelism with the direction of shear and therefore should also provide meaningful data on the direction and cumulative impact of shear by the depositing/deforming medium (i.e. glacier ice). The measurement of A/B plane dip and orientation avoids the potential problem of the transverse orientations observed for clast A-axes and provides poles-to-plane data, thereby strengthening the modality of samples and providing clear visual impressions of stress directions. Such data also enable more significant inter-sample comparisons of fabric strength and clast dip angles, which are significant when assessing the impact of shearing in sediment genesis. We present data on clast A/B plane dip directions and angles from subglacial tills, glacitectonite continuums, subglacially lodged clasts and glacimarine/glacilacustrine deposits using traditional methods of statistical and graphical macrofabric analysis. These sample sets will serve as control data for future macrofabric analyses that utilize A/B planes. The separation of the unequivocally lodged clast component from subglacial till samples allows us to demonstrate the influence of deformation and ploughing in the relative weakening of till fabrics as proposed by some researchers. High angles of A/B plane dip in glacigenic subaqueous deposits appear to be well developed in the glacilacustrine setting investigated here, confirming previous studies based on A-axis dips, but less convincing in the glacimarine sediments of the Canadian Arctic, thereby widening the range of fabric strengths in subaqueous glacigenic deposits. Significant overlaps of A/B plane fabric shape envelopes reflect the strain history of subglacial and subaqueous depositional environments, which is unsurprising given the hybrid nature of glacigenic deposits, but the statistical isolation of the lodgement component from subglacial traction tills strongly suggests that the continuum of sample plots on modality/isotropy graphs reflects the range of strain histories in glacitectonites and subglacial traction till. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is part of a basin-wide re-evaluation of Irish Sea glacigenic deposits which aims to test whether diamicts, collectively known as Irish Sea Tills, represent in situ glacimarine sediments or sediments that have been reworked or deformed by the Last Glacial Maximum Irish Sea Glacier. New results are presented for two key localities at Abermawr and Traeth y Mwnt in Wales. Unlike previous studies in the Irish Sea region that have focused on macro-scale sedimentology and structural analyses, this study combines macro-scale and micro- scale sedimentary analyses. This approach reveals that the dominant diamict facies at Abermawr are subglacially deformed primary (glaci)marine deposits, emplaced by the Irish Sea Glacier. An inland glacial source is unlikely. The Traeth y Mwnt diamicts are likely to be subaqueous in origin, possibly formed in an ice-dammed lake in the Mwnt embayment. There are no indications of subglacial deformation or shearing at Mwnt; deformation structures are related to gravity-driven or density-driven mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most Canadian provinces, religious schools have received some Form of financial assistance from the government. That this assistance has been controversial was clearly demonstrated in the submissions to, and reports of, two influential provincial commissions in the mid-1980s. Many Canadians assume that religious schooling will lead to increased prejudice and intolerance. This paper tests this assumption in the data from the 1984 Canadian National Election Study. It finds that, in general, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews with religious schooling have the same, or, if anything, better scores on tolerance of Jews and non-whites than public-school attendees. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]