This book examines a period of spectacular environmental change, the Quaternary, with respect to soil-landscape relationships in Western Europe, the British Isles and North America. The possibilities for using soils as climatic indicators in the same way as fossils are discussed. The major themes emerging from the book are: the importance of soil stratigraphy in understanding Quaternary sedimentary sequences; the problems of soil-dating and the significance of soil colour; and the growing realisation of the importance of cold-climate processes in soil formation in Western Europe.