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.

Click here for a cross-section through the Southern Uplands

Click here for 3D view of the Isle of Man