The Balderton Sand and Gravel: Pre-Ipswichian cold stage fluvial deposits near Lincoln,England

The Balderton Terrace marks a former course of the River Trent between Newark and the Lincoln Gap. The principal deposit, the Balderton Sand and Gravel, is interpreted as a braided river sediment. Ice wedge casts truncated by intraformational erosion surfaces at many levels indicate syndepositional permafrost. Remnant cover deposits overlying the Balderton Sand and Gravel include the partly aeolian Whisby Sand. Locally, both the upper part of the Balderton Sand and Gravel and the cover deposits exhibit features indicative of temperate climate pedogenesis. All these deposits are affected by subsequent cryoturbation. On the basis of these features and the geomorphological and topographical relationship to other terrace deposits of the area, the Balderton Sand and Gravel and Whisby Sand are regarded as post-Hoxnian and pre-lpswichian, i.e. Wolstonian. Electron spin resonance age determinations for fossil elephant teeth and amino acid analyses on molluscs from the Balderton Sand and Gravel suggest correlation with Oxygen Isotope Stage 6. The Balderton Sand and Gravel has yielded a cold-climate mammalian fauna dominated by woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, though rarer species suggest periods of milder climate. Silts from channels near the base of the deposit have produced pollen, mollusc, ostracod and beetle assemblages also indicating a cold climate.     

A pre-Ipswichian cold stage mammalian fauna from the Balderton Sand and Gravel,Lincolnshire, England

The Balderton Sand and Gravel has yielded one of very few mammalian faunas dated to the penultimate Cold Stage in Britain. The assemblage is dominated by mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, with subordinate horse, red deer, bison, straight-tusked elephant, musk ox, reindeer, wolf, lion, brown bear and cf. narrow-nosed rhinoceros. This fauna indicates cold stage conditions, probably including one or more interstadial episodes. The presence of straight-tusked elephant and cf. narrow-nosed rhinoceros supports its pre-Devensian age, and provides corroboration for the occurrence of these taxa in the British Wolstonian. An attempt is made to analyse the fossil collection by preservation type and adhering sediment: the occurrence of individual species appears to be largely uncorrelated with lithology. The Balderton assemblage corresponds well to other British mammal faunas assigned to a cold interval between the Hoxnian and Ipswichian Interglacials.     

The Holme Pierrepont sand and gravel and the timing of Middle and Late Devensian floodplain aggradation in the English Midlands

This paper provides the first detailed, multi-proxy environmental record for the character of Lateglacial conditions in the lowest Pleistocene terrace of the main valley floor of the River Trent at Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham. The analysis of pollen, plant, insect and mollusc remains preserved within organic channels near the base of the terrace, named the Holme Pierrepont Sand and Gravel by the British Geological Survey (historically known as the Floodplain Terrace), provided evidence of cool, though not fully arctic climatic conditions and a largely treeless landscape, roamed by large herbivores. Radiocarbon dating indicates that these sediments were deposited during the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas GS-1). Comparison of these dates from Holme Pierrepont with those from morphostratigraphically similar deposits in the wider Trent catchment suggests that the Holme Pierrepont Sand and Gravel may have been laid down in two separate pulses of braidplain aggradation either side of the ‘Last Glacial Maximum’. It has been demonstrated from historical documentation and riverine archaeological evidence that the middle Trent has been particularly sensitive to changing flood frequency and magnitude associated with climatic oscillations during the late Holocene; this study demonstrates that such sensitivity appears to extend back into the late Pleistocene. The timing of fluvial aggradation recorded at Holme Pierrepont agrees broadly with that recorded from other sites across England and north-west Europe.     

Late Pleistocene deposits at Block Fen,Cambridgeshire, England

Organic sediments in a gravel quarry at Block Fen, Cambridgeshire, form a sheet dividing lower from upper gravels. Analyses of pollen, macroscopic plant remains and molluscs from these organic sediments are presented. They indicate the presence of temperate freshwater and slightly brackish fine floodplain sediments, which, on the basis of the palaeobotany, are correlated with the temperate Ipswichian Stage. The freshwater sediments, ascribed to Ipswichian substage IIb, occur at ca. ?3 m OD. Marine-influenced tidal sediments, ascribed to Ipswichian substage III, occur at ca. ?6 m OD. No evidence was found for the presence of more than one temperate stage in the sequence. The lower gravels are then correlated with the cold Wolstonian Stage and the upper gravels with the cold Devensian Stage. In contrast to the woodland environments indicated by the palaeobotany of the Ipswichian organic sediments, post-Ipswichian pollen diagrams and macroscopic plant remains in the upper suite of sands and gravels indicate open tree-less vegetation typical of the cold Devensian Stage. They also contain a typical cold-stage mollusc fauna. The sediments containing these floras and faunas are associated with thermal contraction cracks, indicating the presence of permafrost. The final sand and gravel aggradation in the Devensian forms the Block Fen Terrace, near 0 m OD. The evidence indicates that it is younger than the lacustrine sediments resulting from the blocking of the Fenland at the Wash by Late Devensian ice at ca. 18.5 ka BP. The sequence at Block Fen is related to nearby Ipswichian and Devensian sediments at Chatteris, March, Wimblington and Mepal, and to deposits at Wretton on the east margin of Fenland. The correlation permits an outline reconstruction of the history of the valley carrying the River Great Ouse between the Isle of Ely and the Chatteris and March ‘islands’ from the time of a gravel aggradation before the Ipswichian to the Flandrian. The reconstruction shows the time and level of the Ipswichian marine incursion into the Middle Level of Fenland and the extent of aggradation and erosion in the Devensian.     

A new exposure of Quaternary deposits at Poets’ Corner Yard,Westminster Abbey,Central London

Work prior to the construction of a tower for access to the triforium, Westminster Abbey, provided temporary exposures of Quaternary deposits. Two units were seen: the Shepperton Gravel Member, and overlying Poets’ Corner Sand (new name). Distinctive features of the Poets’ Corner Sand are described. The age of the base of the Poets’ Corner Sand by optical dating is 15 000?±?1000?years BP. The foundations of the Abbey are briefly described.     

Mollusca from Last Interglacial fluvial deposits of the River Thames at Trafalgar Square,London

An account is given of the molluscan assemblages recovered from fluvial deposits beneath the ‘Upper Floodplain terrace’ of the River Thames in the vicinity of Trafalgar Square, central London. A total of 37 aquatic and 28 terrestrial taxa have been recorded, a diversity indicative of full interglacial conditions. Palaeobotanical and vertebrate evidence suggests that these fossiliferous sediments belong to the Last (Ipswichian) Interglacial, a conclusion strongly supported by molluscan evidence. The combination of the presence of certain species, such as Belgrandia marginata, Potomida littoralis and Margaritifera auricularia, together with the absence of other taxa that no longer live in Britain, such as Pisidium clessini, Corbicula fluminalis and Unio crassus, imparts a distinctive character to the fauna. These temperate molluscs were not only present in the Trafalgar Square Sands and Silts, but also in the underlying Spring Gardens Gravel, showing the latter to be an interglacial aggradation that did not accumulate during the late Wolstonian, contrary to previous interpretations. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The British Pleistocene fluvial archive: East Midlands drainage evolution and human occupation in the context of the British and NW European record

This paper reviews the Pleistocene evolution and human occupation of the River Trent, the major fluvial artery draining Midland Britain, and places it within a modern Quaternary context. In contrast to the sedimentary records of the River Thames and the erstwhile Bytham system, which extend back to the early Pleistocene, present knowledge of the terrace sequence of the Trent, its tributary systems and associated ancestral courses extends back only to the Anglian glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12), although the regional pre-Anglian drainage configuration is demonstrably complex. The post-Anglian sequence is well developed, with major terrace sand and gravel aggradations associated with each subsequent cold stage. Temperate-climate sediments correlating with MIS 7 and 5e have been recorded, although deposits relating to earlier interglacials during MIS 11 and 9 have yet to be identified. Evidence for human occupation in the form of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic artefacts has been recorded from terrace sediments correlated with MIS 8 and MIS 4, but the majority of this material is heavily rolled and abraded, suggesting significant reworking from older deposits. This review demonstrates that there is a rich palaeo-environmental record from the Trent but the lack of a high-resolution chronostratgraphic framework raises issues about correlation with other systems.     

Active fault traces along Bhuj Fault and Katrol Hill Fault, and trenching survey at Wandhay, Kachchh, Gujarat, India

Several new active fault traces were identified along Katrol Hill Fault (KHF). A new fault (named as Bhuj Fault, BF) that extends into the Bhuj Plain was also identified. These fault traces were identified based on satellite photo interpretation and field survey. Trenches were excavated to identify the paleoseismic events, pattern of faulting and the nature of deformation. New active fault traces were recognized about 1km north of the topographic boundary between the Katrol Hill and the plain area. The fault exposure along the left bank of Khari River with 10m wide shear zone in the Mesozoic rocks and showing displacement of the overlying Quaternary deposits is indicative of continued tectonic activity along the ancient fault. The E-W trending active fault traces along the KHF in the western part changes to NE-SW or ENE-WSW near Wandhay village. Trenching survey across a low scarp near Wandhay village reveals three major fault strands F1, F2, and F3. These fault strands displaced the older terrace deposits comprising Sand, Silt and Gravel units along with overlying younger deposits from units 1 to 5 made of gravel, sand and silt. Stratigraphic relationship indicates at least three large magnitude earthquakes along KHF during Late Holocene or recent historic past.     

Distribution and provenance of the Baginton Sand and Gravel in the Wreake Valley,northern Leicestershire,England: Implications for inter-regional correlation

The Baginton Sand and Gravel is traced along the lower Wreake Valley as a continuous water-laid stratum at the base of the drift succession. Its properties closely resemble those previously described from the proto-Soar valley, namely an upward fining sequence and a composition dominated by pebbles of Triassic and Carboniferous origin. Such a provenance is consistent with the idea that the proto-Soar once followed a route eastwards past Melton Mowbray, and that the drainage along the lower Wreake Valley has been reversed in the course of Pleistocene times. However, the slope of the sand and gravel train appears to be to the west rather than the east, and the rockhead relief is also inconsistent with an eastward-flowing proto-Soar. Until this enigma is resolved, it would be imprudent to use the Baginton Sand and Gravel as the basis for inter-regional correlations. The issue is further complicated by the preservation at Brooksby of earlier interglacial or interstadial deposits whose temporal affinities remain unclear.     

Middle Pleistocene lacustrine deposits in eastern Essex,England and their palaeogeographical implications

Investigations in quarry exposures in the Asheldham Gravel and related deposits of southeast Essex are described. Section logging, mapping and borehole investigations are supported by clast lithological, heavy and clay mineralogical determinations. The sediments are derived from reworking of local Thames basin materials, fine sediment being predominantly from the London Clay. The sequence is shown to represent an aggradation that began as the fluvial infilling of the River Medway valley. The River Thames, diverted into this valley by glaciation further west, overwhelmed the Medway, reworking the deposits. The valley was subsequently drowned and fine laminated lake sediment was initially deposited. This was during a period when the valley was drowned by the glacial lake ponded in the southern North Sea basin by the Anglian/Elsterian ice sheet. Progradation by a braid-delta complex advanced along the valley and subsequently fluvial deposition returned. Valley widening and straightening accompanied the delta progradation. The deposits were dissected by deep fluvial valleys infilled by Hoxnian interglacial sediments. The Asheldham Gravel is therefore placed in the Anglian/Elsterian Stage.     

A late Middle Pleistocene temperate–periglacial–temperate sequence (Oxygen Isotope Stages 7–5e) near Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, UK

River-channel and colluvial deposits, near Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, record a temperate-periglacial-temperate sequence during the late Middle Pleistocene. The deposits of a lower channel contain tufa clasts bearing leaf impressions that include Acer sp., and Sorbus aucuparia and containing temperate arboreal pollen attributed to ash-dominated woodland. The tufa probably formed at the mouth of a limestone spring before being redeposited in a small river whose deposits contain plant remains, Mollusca, Coleoptera, Ostracoda and vertebrate bones of temperate affinities. The sediments, sedimentary structures and limited biological remains above the Lower Channel deposits indicate that fluvial deposition preceded climatic cooling into periglacial conditions. Fluvial deposition recurred during a later temperate episode, as shown by the mammalian bone assemblage in stratigraphically higher channel deposits. The Upper Channel deposits are confidently attributed to Oxygen Isotope Sub-Stage 5e (Ipswichian) on the basis of their vertebrate remains. However, the age of the Lower Channel deposits is less clear. The mammalian and coleopteran remains in the Lower Channel strongly suggest correlation with Oxygen Isotope Stage 7 on the basis of their similarities to other sites whose stratigraphy is better known and the clear difference of the Lower Channel assemblage from well-established faunas of Ipswichian or any other age. By contrast, U–Th dating of the tufa clasts suggests an age post 160 ka BP, while Aile/Ile ratios on Mollusca point to an Ipswichian age and younger. Four ways of interpreting this age discrepancy are considered, the preferred one correlating the Lower Channel deposits with Oxygen Isotope Stage 7.     

Late Pleistocene and early Holocene rivers and wetlands in the Bonneville basin of western North America

Field investigations at Dugway Proving Ground in western Utah have produced new data on the chronology and human occupation of late Pleistocene and early Holocene lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the Lake Bonneville basin. We have classified paleo-river channels of these ages as “gravel channels” and “sand channels.” Gravel channels are straight to curved, digitate, and have abrupt bulbous ends. They are composed of fine gravel and coarse sand, and are topographically inverted (i.e., they stand higher than the surrounding mudflats). Sand channels are younger and sand filled, with well-developed meander-scroll morphology that is truncated by deflated mudflat surfaces. Gravel channels were formed by a river that originated as overflow from the Sevier basin along the Old River Bed during the late regressive phases of Lake Bonneville (after 12,500 and prior to 11,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.). Dated samples from sand channels and associated fluvial overbank and wetland deposits range in age from 11,000 to 8800 ¹⁴C yr B.P., and are probably related to continued Sevier-basin overflow and to groundwater discharge. Paleoarchaic foragers occupied numerous sites on gravel-channel landforms and adjacent to sand channels in the extensive early Holocene wetland habitats. Reworking of tools and limited toolstone diversity is consistent with theoretical models suggesting Paleoarchaic foragers in the Old River Bed delta were less mobile than elsewhere in the Great Basin.     

Sedimentology,palaeoecology and geochronology of Last Interglacial deposits from Deeping St James,Lincolnshire, England

Pollen, plant macrofossil, molluscan and coleopteran data from organic muds below the low terrace of the River Welland at Deeping St James, Lincolnshire indicate deposition in the mixed oak forest phase of a Late Pleistocene interglacial. Coleopteran and molluscan data suggest summer temperatures up to 4°C warmer than at present in eastern England, and plant macrofossil material suggests a climate more continental than that of Britain in the Holocene. No direct analogue of this biota, however, exists currently in Europe. Biostratigraphical indications from the pollen coleoptera and Mollusca suggest an age in the Ipswichian Interglacial. Thermoluminescence dates between 120 ka and 75 ka and amino-acid ratios with a mean of 0.11 show that deposition of the sediments took place during Oxygen Isotope Stage 5. This accurate dating of a partial Ipswichian succession allows discussion of the ages of a number of other interglacial sites in eastern England of assumed Ipswichian age. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Wolstonian stage of the british pleistocene in and around its type area of the english midlands

An account of the original concept of the Wolstonian is followed by a statement of opposing views about its age. Then follows a consideration of its fauna, its relation to the terraces of the river Thames and the source of materials of its tills. The westward limit of the Oadby Till facies and its transition into contemporaneous western till is described. Final reference is made to the triple glaciation of west and north Birmingham.     

Late and Middle Pleistocene deposits at Somersham,Cambridgeshire, U.K.: a model for reconstructing fluvial/estuarine depositional environments

Gravel quarries at Somersham, Cambridgeshire, have yielded evidence for a Pleistocene channel of the R. Great Ouse, containing temperate stage sediments between cold stage sediments. In the earlier cold stage, fluviatile gravels and floodplain loessic sediment accumulated. In the later cold stage a further series of gravel units and floodplain sediments were deposited, together with lake sediments. The lake sediments are associated with Lake Sparks, dammed by Late Devensian ice in the Wash at ca. 18.5 ka BP. The lake sediments overlie gravels with a radiocarbon date from an organic horizon indicating a Middle Devensian age. Clast lithological analyses from the earlier and later gravels suggest that reworking of gravels has occurred within a relatively stable catchment. The petrography of the earlier cold stage loessic sediment and temperate stage fine sediment indicates an Anglian affinity, which conflicts with the biostratigraphic interpretation. Pollen and macroscopic plant remains from sediments of both cold stages and from the temperate stage indicate, respectively, assemblages with a typical full-glacial aspect with a rich flora of shrubs and open ground herbs(including an assemblage at ca. 18 ka), and temperate freshwater and marine-influenced organic sediments. On the basis of pollen analysis these are ascribed to substages Ip II and III of the Ipswichian Stage(O.I.S. 5e), with a Pinus-Quercus-Corylus biozone in the former and a biozone with Carpinus in the latter. Marine-influenced sediments, at −3.7 to −0.3 m OD, indicate transgression in Ip II and regression in Ip III.Molluscan assemblages from the temperate stage and the later cold stage are described; two are from the Late Devensian, at a time near the maximum extension of ice into the Wash. Foraminifer and ostracod faunas are described from post-Ipswichian sediments and may be reworked. Radiocarbon dates confirm the age of the later gravel suite as Devensian and a calibration of the measurements is given. Amino acid ratios from Corbicula fluminalis valves from temperate stage sediments are reported, with measurements from different parts of the valve; the results tend to support an Ipswichian age. TL measurements of the earlier cold stage loessic sediment and associated sand indicate a pre-Ipswichian age for the sediments. The earlier cold stage is correlated with the pre-Ipswichian cold stage, the Wolstonian of Mitchell et al.(1973); problems with this correlation are discussed.Various periglacial phenomena, including thermal contraction networks and cracks, diapirs, involutions and coversand are associated with the Devensian sequence. The complex environmental history, based on stratigraphy and palaeontology, is described, and related to other nearby sites in southern Fenland.     

An absolute chronology for the raised beach and associated deposits at Sewerby,East Yorkshire,England

The raised beach sediments revealed in the cliffs at Sewerby, East Yorkshire are widely regarded as Ipswichian in age. Previously reported evidence for this dating is reviewed and new results from a range of luminescence dating techniques applied to the blown sand deposit overlying the raised beach are reported. These provide the first absolute date for the Sewerby site of 120.84 ± 11.82 ka, which places the blown sand at the boundary between oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 5e and 5d. As the underlying raised beach is little older than the blown sand, it probably formed during OIS Stage 5e as suggested by the faunal evidence.     

Ipswichian (Eemian) floodplain deposits and terrace stratigraphy in the lower Great Ouse and Cam valleys,southern England,UK

Gao, C. & Boreham, S. 2010: Ipswichian (Eemian) floodplain deposits and terrace stratigraphy in the lower Great Ouse and Cam valleys, southern England, UK. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00191.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Thick argillaceous deposits named the Mannings Farm Beds recently uncovered in the third terrace at Mannings Farm near Willingham, Cambridgeshire contain a pollen sequence covering the transitions from Ipswichian/Eemian substages I to II and II to III, when oak and hornbeam expanded, respectively. This is the longest record hitherto obtained in Britain, providing important insight into the major forest successions in this temperate stage. The frequent occurrence of Ipswichian deposits in the third terrace suggests the development of an extensive floodplain on the valley bottom, similar to the case for the present‐day lower Great Ouse and Cam. The Mannings Farm Beds testify to a complete interglacial sequence emplaced between cold‐climate gravels that was directly associated with the terrace development. The third terrace developed during the Ipswichian and the preceding and succeeding cold stages. Major river downcutting, which shaped the third terrace, occurred during the Early Devensian/Weichselian. Previously reported interglacial fossils from this terrace that are inconsistent with an Ipswichian affinity are probably reworked material derived from pre‐Ipswichian interglacial deposits, or their significance as biostratigraphical indicators needs to be confirmed. The second and first terraces developed from the late Early Devensian onwards. Ipswichian deposits filling flood‐scoured deep channels in bedrock are preserved locally below these low terraces.     

The middle pleistocene deposits of Waverley Wood Pit,Warwickshire, England

A complex of channels underlying the Baginton-Lillington Gravel (Baginton Formation) at Waverley Wood Quarry, Warwickshire is described. Fossil pollen and plant macrofossils, Coleoptera, Ostracoda, Mollusca and Mammalia are described from the channel-fill deposits. Consideration of all the evidence allows the identification of four separate stages of channel fill which largely occurred under a cool temperate climate. At the top of Channel 2 evidence for a cold, continental climatic episode can be recognised, suggesting that the whole complex was deposited under a fluctuating climate at the end of a temperate stage. At two levels in the channels human artefacts were recovered confirming the presence of Palaeolithic people in Warwickshire during the deposition of the sediments. Amino-acid geochronology suggests an age within the ‘Cromerian Complex’ Stage for the channels. The small vertebrate and molluscan faunas indicate that the deposits are no older than the latter part of the ‘Cromerian Complex’ Stage of East Anglia. The regional stratigraphic significance of the Waverley Wood succession is outlined.     

东天山黑沟流域冰川沉积序列及OSL测年研究

黑沟源于东天山最大现代冰川作用中心博格达峰的南坡. 在第四纪冰期与间冰期旋回中,该流域的冰川均发生过多次规模较大的进退,在谷中留下了较为完整的冰川沉积序列. 这些冰川地形包含有重要的古气候变化信息,对其研究可重建黑沟流域的冰川演化史. 应用OSL对该流域的冰川沉积物进行定年,测定结果表明冰水沉积物（沙质透镜体）比冰碛物更适宜应用单片再生剂量（SAR）测年技术进行测定. 基于测得的年龄并结合地貌地层学原理可初步得出：晚第四纪期间,黑沟流域共发生了5次规模较大的冰川作用,分别为全新世期间的小冰期（16世纪以来冷期的冰进）与新冰期（距今3~4 ka的冰进）,末次冰期晚冰阶（MIS 2）与早冰阶（MIS 4）以及倒数第二次冰期（MIS 6）.     

Palaeontology and taphonomy of Late Quaternary fossil assemblages at Somersham,Cambridgeshire, England,and the problem of reworking

Assemblages of foraminifers, ostracods and molluscs from temperate Ipswichian Stage (last temperate stage) sediments and overlying cold Devensian Stage (last cold stage) sediments at Somersham in the southern Fenland of Cambridgeshire have been analysed. The Ipswichian sediments contain faunas consistent with temperate brackish water conditions under tidal influence. The Devensian assemblages were recovered from a series of sands and gravels laterally accreting in a channel cutting into Ipswichian sediments. In contrast to the Ipswichian faunas, the faunas of particular Devensian samples show a complex mixture of temperate freshwater, brackish and marine taxa. The molluscs are mainly freshwater, with few land snails; they occur together with foraminifers and ostracods. Freshwater, brackish water and marine ostracods are present with foraminifers. A sample of Devensian fine laminated sediment in the channel was analysed for pollen; only abundant pre-Quaternary spores were present, with abundant foraminifers in the same sample. The taphonomy of the assemblages and the difficulties of their interpretation in environmental terms are discussed. The importance of taphonomy in assessing environments, climate, range of taxa and dating is stressed.