The sediments of Kirkhead Cave, a truncated phreatic conduit in the
Morecambe Bay karst of northern England, have been investigated by scanning
electron microscopic, granulometric, petrographic, palynologic and
stratigraphic methods. These show that almost all the deposits in the cave
are glacigenic sediments, reworked into the cave by a variety of
transporting agencies. Investigation of the deposits by radiometric,
magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic methods suggests that the fill
represents a near-continuum of deposition from at least pollen zone III of
the Late-glacial until modern times. Within the deposits is evidence of use
of the cave by man from later upper palaeolithic (Creswellian) times
onwards. However, no definite evidence has been found of later upper
palaeolithic use of the cave prior to the middle of pollen zone III. It is
therefore suggested that the occupation of marginal areas of upper
palaeolithic colonization, such as the far north of northern England, after
the last glaciation may have taken place somewhat later than has previously
been recognized.