A preliminary survey of Beanrig Moss,a fen in South Scotland

Summary

A preliminary survey by the Mires Research Group was carried out at Beanrig Moss, near Selkirk. The distribution of plant communities, showing a zonation from the margins of the site to its centre, appeared to be related mainly to variations in water table depth in relation to surface contours, with differences in the ionic composition of the water itself playing a secondary role. Stratigraphical investigation revealed the presence of a deep basin beneath the thin peat deposit, and within the clays lining this, an Allerød deposit.