Lake Pickering
Encyclopedia
Lake Pickering was an extensive proglacial lake
of the Devensian glacial
. It filled the Vale of Pickering
between the North York Moors
and the Yorkshire Wolds
, when the (largely Scandinavia
n) ice blocked the drainage, which had hitherto flowed north-eastwards past the site of Filey
towards the Northern North Sea
basin. The lake surface rose until it overflowed southwards and cut an exit between the Howardian Hills
and the Yorkshire Wolds
at Kirkham Priory
between Malton
and Stamford Bridge
, so creating the River Derwent
.
In modern times, as an artificial flood relief channel, much of the flow of the River Derwent
(which drains a large area of the North York Moors
) has been diverted, about 10 km upstream of West Ayton
, before it reaches the plain of the Vale of Pickering
, east into a new channel called the Sea Cut along a previously dry side valley (probably a glacial overflow channel) and into the existing Scalby Beck's course through Scalby, North Yorkshire to the North Sea
.
while the Cleveland
Hills deflected the British ice to the west of the Vale of Pickering
, down the Ouse valley
. The small proglacial lakes, including Lake Eskdale and Lake Wheeldale, which formed in the northern valleys of the North York Moors overflowed one into another then overflowed via the col
at the head of Newton Dale, which now leads south to Pickering
.
With the old exit blocked by the North Sea ice sheet, the Vale of Pickering filled and overflowed between the Howardian Hills
and the Yorkshire Wolds
into an arm of a much larger proglacial Lake Humber which filled the lower Ouse valley, the lower Trent
valley and, via a narrow gap at Lincoln
, the Fenland basin
.
The extent of the Ouse valley ice varied from time to time but there are two major terminal moraine
s, one at Escrick
and one at York
. The out-flowing water passed between this ice and the Wolds to the north arm of Lake Fenland. At Kirkham
, the junction between the two lakes was narrow but the extent to which they were strictly separate varied with time. Initially, the surface of Lake Pickering was higher than that of Lake Fenland, but the surface of Lake Fenland was at 25 to 26 metres or a little above. This is the altitude of the highest point on its spillway, at the head of the River Wissey
, a level verifiable by looking for old shore-lines around The Fens. The modern Derwent has already descended to 20 metres by the time it reaches the middle of the Vale of Pickering. Thus, although it began as a separate lake, Lake Pickering seems to have settled down to the level of Lake Fenland and become a part of it.
From the spillway, meltwater reached the sea via the valley in which the Strait of Dover and the English Channel now lie.
Proglacial lake
In geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine or ice dam during the retreat of a melting glacier, or by meltwater trapped against an ice sheet due to isostatic depression of the crust around the ice...
of the Devensian glacial
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
. It filled the Vale of Pickering
Vale of Pickering
The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic period...
between the North York Moors
North York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
and the Yorkshire Wolds
Yorkshire Wolds
The Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in northeastern England. The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie....
, when the (largely Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n) ice blocked the drainage, which had hitherto flowed north-eastwards past the site of Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
towards the Northern North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
basin. The lake surface rose until it overflowed southwards and cut an exit between the Howardian Hills
Howardian Hills
The Howardian Hills form an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England. located between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors National Park and the Vale of York. The AONB includes farmland, wooded rolling countryside, villages and historic houses with parkland...
and the Yorkshire Wolds
Yorkshire Wolds
The Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in northeastern England. The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie....
at Kirkham Priory
Kirkham Priory
The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley, who also built Rievaulx Abbey...
between Malton
Malton, North Yorkshire
Malton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 4,000 people....
and Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire
Stamford Bridge is a village and civil parish on the River Derwent in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, approximately east of York.-Location and history:The village sits astride an ancient ford on the River Derwent....
, so creating the River Derwent
River Derwent, Yorkshire
The Derwent is a river in Yorkshire in the north of England. It is used for water abstraction, leisure and sporting activities and effluent disposal as well as being of significant importance as the site of several nature reserves...
.
In modern times, as an artificial flood relief channel, much of the flow of the River Derwent
River Derwent, Yorkshire
The Derwent is a river in Yorkshire in the north of England. It is used for water abstraction, leisure and sporting activities and effluent disposal as well as being of significant importance as the site of several nature reserves...
(which drains a large area of the North York Moors
North York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
) has been diverted, about 10 km upstream of West Ayton
West Ayton
West Ayton is a village and civil parish in the Scarboroughdistrict of North Yorkshire, England.According to the 2001 UK census, West Ayton parish had a population of 831....
, before it reaches the plain of the Vale of Pickering
Vale of Pickering
The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic period...
, east into a new channel called the Sea Cut along a previously dry side valley (probably a glacial overflow channel) and into the existing Scalby Beck's course through Scalby, North Yorkshire to the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
Wider picture
North of Lake Pickering, the North Sea ice sheet was restrained by the North York MoorsNorth York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
while the Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
Hills deflected the British ice to the west of the Vale of Pickering
Vale of Pickering
The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic period...
, down the Ouse valley
River Ouse, Yorkshire
The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The river is formed from the River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, about 6 miles downstream of the confluence of the River Swale with the River Ure...
. The small proglacial lakes, including Lake Eskdale and Lake Wheeldale, which formed in the northern valleys of the North York Moors overflowed one into another then overflowed via the col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
at the head of Newton Dale, which now leads south to Pickering
Pickering, North Yorkshire
Pickering is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of the county of North Yorkshire, England, on the border of the North York Moors National Park. It sits at the foot of the Moors, overlooking the Vale of Pickering to the south...
.
With the old exit blocked by the North Sea ice sheet, the Vale of Pickering filled and overflowed between the Howardian Hills
Howardian Hills
The Howardian Hills form an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England. located between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors National Park and the Vale of York. The AONB includes farmland, wooded rolling countryside, villages and historic houses with parkland...
and the Yorkshire Wolds
Yorkshire Wolds
The Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in northeastern England. The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie....
into an arm of a much larger proglacial Lake Humber which filled the lower Ouse valley, the lower Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
valley and, via a narrow gap at Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, the Fenland basin
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
.
The extent of the Ouse valley ice varied from time to time but there are two major terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
s, one at Escrick
Escrick
Escrick is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is equidistant between Selby and York on what is now the A19 road....
and one at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. The out-flowing water passed between this ice and the Wolds to the north arm of Lake Fenland. At Kirkham
Kirkham, North Yorkshire
Kirkham is a village in North Yorkshire, England, close to Malton, situated in the Howardian Hills alongside the River Derwent, and is notable for the nearby ruins of Kirkham Priory, an Augustinian establishment....
, the junction between the two lakes was narrow but the extent to which they were strictly separate varied with time. Initially, the surface of Lake Pickering was higher than that of Lake Fenland, but the surface of Lake Fenland was at 25 to 26 metres or a little above. This is the altitude of the highest point on its spillway, at the head of the River Wissey
River Wissey
The River Wissey is a river in Norfolk, eastern England. It rises near Bradenham, and flows for nearly to join the River Great Ouse at Fordham...
, a level verifiable by looking for old shore-lines around The Fens. The modern Derwent has already descended to 20 metres by the time it reaches the middle of the Vale of Pickering. Thus, although it began as a separate lake, Lake Pickering seems to have settled down to the level of Lake Fenland and become a part of it.
From the spillway, meltwater reached the sea via the valley in which the Strait of Dover and the English Channel now lie.
Maps
- Lake Fenland’s spillway toward the southern North Sea basin (Source of the Waveney/Little Ouse at 25/26m).
- The Derwent crosses the 20m contour at grid reference SE927790, on the Derwent at East Heslerton Carr.
- The narrow Derwent valley at Kirkham.
- The col between Esk Dale and Newton Dale.