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Published in:
2005 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
Machair
Author : William Ritchie
Published in: Encyclopedia of Coastal Science
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
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Excerpt
Machair is a Gaelic word which applies to those areas of ancient sand dune systems mainly in the Hebrides of Scotland, but also in west Ireland, where long dune grasses have been superseded and the topography is essentially a low, plain surface (Ritchie, 1979). Its main characteristics are summarized below,
1.
A level, low-lying, surface at a mature stage of geomorphological evolution, which is part of a very old fully vegetated coastal sand-dune system and is normally marshy in winter.
2.
A base of blown sand which has a significant percentage of shell-derived materials and a narrow range of grain sizes.
3.
Lime-rich soils with a pH value normally greater than 7.0.
4.
A sandy grassland-type vegetation with long dune grasses and other early dune species having been eliminated.
5.
Evidence of a history of anthropic interference including heavy grazing (especially rabbits, sheep, and cattle), rotational cultivation and, in places, artificial drainage.
6.
A moist, cool location with characteristically strong onshore winds.