He was the son of Arthur Thomas Embleton (1895-1954), a shipping clerk, and Constance Fitzgerald (1896–1948).
He was educated at Birkenhead School and won an open exhibition at St John's College, Cambridge to read geography.
His doctoral thesis in 1956 was on the glacial landforms of north Wales.
[1][2] His research on glaciation in Wales and Norway led to the publication of a classic text on the subject, 'Geomorphology, Glacial and Periglacial' with Cuchlaine King, published by Hodder & Stoughton in May 1968, ISBN 0713153776 which was later substantially revised in 1975.
He married Davina Caroline Cherry in 1956 and they had three sons.