Abstract: | The results of a thermoluminescence (TL) dating and geochemical survey of loessic deposits in southeast England, involving sampling at 26 localities, demonstrate that the loessic deposits appear to be the product of at least three depositional phases of aeolian silt during the Late Pleistocene, namely 10-25 ka BP, 50–125 ka BP and > 170 ka BP. The majority of localities sampled date to the Late Devensian, but isolated pockets of older material were found throughout the area. The majority of the samples analysed were of decalcified material. The results of geochemical analyses of major oxide and trace element concentrations indicate the uniformity of material and suggest a common provenance. |