Abstract A glaciated margin is a continental margin that has been occupied by a large ice mass, such that glacial processes and slope processes conspire to produce a thick sedimentary record. Ice masses take an active role in sculpting, redistributing and reorganizing the sediment that they erode on the continental shelf, and act as a supply route to large fan systems (e.g. trough mouth fans, submarine fans) on the continental slope and continental rise. To many researchers, the term ‘glaciated margin’ is synonymous with modern day areas fringing Antarctica and the Arctic shelf systems, yet the geological record contains ancient examples ranging in age from Precambrian to Cenozoic. In the pre-Pleistocene record, there is a tendency for the configuration of the tectonic plates to become increasingly obscure with age. For instance, in the Neoproterozoic record, not everyone agrees on the location of rift margins and some fundamental continental boundaries remain unclear. Given these issues, this introductory paper has two simple aims: (1) to provide a brief commentary of relevant Geological Society publications on glaciated margins, with the landmark papers highlighted and (2) to explain the contents of this volume.

Abstract A combination of field investigation and micromorphological analysis has been applied to polydeformed Late Devensian rhythmites and glacigenic diamicton, exposed in Strathspey, Scotland. This provided information on the geometry, kinematics and relative ages of ductile and brittle structures, and records a complex subglacial deformation history. The deformation is interpreted as resulting from a single progressive event, associated with over-riding of proglacial lake sediments by wet-based ice. The earliest deformation (‘D 1 ’) resulted from compaction/loading (pure shear) and imposed a bedding-parallel (S 1 ) fabric throughout the rhythmites. S 1 was subsequently deformed by kink bands and minor ductile shearing during ‘D 2 ’. A later ‘D 3 ’ event, characterized by soft-sediment deformation and fluidization of matrix-poor sands, was accompanied by an increase in pore water pressure. This lead to hydrofracturing of the rhythmites. The most intense deformation (‘D 4 ’), which resulted from simple shear, was partitioned into the upper part of the sequence. It produced folding, thrusting and brittle microfaulting in response to NNW-directed ice-push. These findings indicate that, in general, subglacial deformation is not homogeneous and can extend to depths of >3 m below the presumed ice-sediment interface.