Stratigraphic Evidence of Regeneration in Some Irish Bogs

Abstract

Detailed study of the stratigraphy of raised bog sections suggests that regeneration of bog surfaces is controlled principally by external factors, particularly rainfall, and that these factors are effective over the greater part of a bog surface. Pool and hummock mosaics seem not to represent the main mechanism of bog growth through a self-perpetuating "regeneration complex" but to be symptomatic of bog surfaces recently rejuvenated. The stratigraphic indications they leave are comparable with, but less strongly developed than, recurrence surfaces.