Between
70,000-10,000 years ago the Isle of Man was covered by an ice sheet
which had spread out from the mountains of Scotland.
The ice is thought to have advanced and retreated
over the Island several times during this period. When the ice advanced
for the last time it pushed up a pile of soft sediment in front
of it, similar to a bulldozer, to form the Bride Hills. When the
ice melted it deposited material contained within it to form a veneer
of glacial sediment
now covering the northern plain. Some of this material includes
rock plucked from the mountains of Scotland and from the floor of
the Irish Sea and these can now be found as pebbles at the Point
of Ayre. Associated with the glacial deposits are outwash material
left by meltwater flowing as rivers southwards from the glacier
and alluvial fans composed of sediment washed down from the mountains
during summer thaws.
