Martin Theodore Te Punga (1921–1989) and the periglacial legacy of southern England

On the 50th anniversary of Martin Te Pungaʹs reading of his paper ‘Periglacial geology in Southern England’, the key events in his career in New Zealand are outlined. The background and outcomes of his study visit to Britain in 1955 are assessed. It is concluded that his visionary hypothesis was particularly significant since a range of known periglacial features were in need of integration into a broader landscape model. He argued for the recognition of a non-glaciated landscape which was largely a product of repeated phases of periglaciation during glacial stages, although this concept took time to be absorbed and understood by many indigenous geomorphologists. He also furthered the investigation of cryoplanation terraces in Devon. His analysis of the role of periglacial processes in fashioning terrain character in southern England is now largely vindicated and, hence, merits the status of a benchmark paper.