The Chronology and Environmental Framework of Early Man in the Upper Thames Valley: A New Model 9780860543107, 9781407317496

Table of contents :
Front Cover
Copyright
ADDRESSES OF AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS
CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF PLATES
LIST OF TABLES
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Chapter I. INTRODUCTION
Chapter 2. PALAEOLITHIC ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE UPPER THAMES BASIN
Chapter 3. THE FLOODPLAIN TERRACE
Chapter 4. THE SUMMERTOWN-RADLEY TERRACE
Chapter 5. THE STANTON HARCOURT CHANNEL
Chapter 6. SYNTHESIS
REFERENCES
ADDENDUM: NEW EXPOSURE IN THE WOLVERCOTE CHANNEL

Citation preview

The Chronology and Environmental Framework of Early Man in the Upper Thames Valley A New Model D. J. Briggs, G. R. Coope and D. D. Gilbertson

BAR British Series 13 7 1985

B.A.R.

5, Centremead, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, England.

GENERAL EDITORS A.R Hands, B.Sc., M.A., D.Phil. D.R Walker, M.A.

B.A.R. 137, 1985: The Chronology and Environmental Framework of Early Man in the Upper. Thames Yalley' • ©D.J.Briggs, G.R.Coope and D.D.Gilbertson, 1985

The authors’ moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9780860543107 paperback ISBN 9781407317496 e-book DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860543107 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com

A DDRESSES O F A UTHORS A ND C ONTRIBUTORS

D avid J .

B riggs,

D epartment o f G eography,

U niversity o f

S heffield,

S heffield S 10 2 TN G .

R ussell C oope, B irmingham,

D epartment o f G eological S ciences, P .O.

D avid G ilbertson,

B eck,

S heffield,

P lymouth P L1

D avid B ridgland,

U niversity o f

2 TT

S heffield S 10 2 TN

D epartment o f E arth S ciences,

B arbican,

S treet,

B irmingham B 15

D epartment o f A rchaeology a nd P rehistory,

U niversity o f R oger B .

B ox 3 63,

N ature C onservancy C ouncil,

N ewbury,

O pen U niversity,

T he

2 LA P earl House,

B artholomew

B erkshire R G14 5 LS

K athryn C artledge, D epartment o f A rchaeology a nd P rehistory, U niversity o f S heffield, S heffield S 10 2 TN K eith C rabtree,

D epartment o f G eography,

U niversity R oad,

B ristol B S8

U niversity o f B ristol,

1 SS

A ndrew C urrant, D epartment o f P alaeontology, B ritish M useum ( Natural H istory), C romwell R oad, L ondon S W7 5 BD C hristopher O .

H unt,

U niversity o f R .

J . ' MacRae,

E ric R obinson,

1 6 T he T ennis,

o f

T hew,

o f A rchaeology a nd P rehistory,

S heffield S 10 2 TN C assington,

D epartment o f G eology,

G ower S treet, N igel M .

D epartment

S heffield,

L ondon W C1E 6 BT

O xford

U niversity C ollege L ondon, •

D epartment o f A rchaeology a nd P rehistory,

S heffield,

S heffield S 10 2 TN

i ii

U niversity

C ONTENTS P age L IST O F F IGURES

v ii

L IST O F P LATES L IST O F T ABLES

x i

P REFACE

x ii

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

x iv

1 .

I NTRODUCTION 1 .1

1

T he c ontext

o f

r ecent

r esearch i n t he U pper

T hames V alley

2 .

E vidence f or h uman s ettlement

1 .3

T hames b asin 1 T he t errace g ravels o f

1 .4

S ummary

i n t he U pper

t he U pper T hames

1 3 7

P ALAEOLITHIC A RCHAEOLOGY O F T HE U PPER T HAMES

8

2 .1

P roblems a nd

8

2 .2

P alaeoliths f rom t he U pper T hames b asin 2 .2.1 W olvercote

8 1 0

2 .2.2 2 .2.3

I ffley B erinsfield

1 2 1 8

2 .2.4

S tanton Harcourt

2 .3 3 .

1

1 .2

c hallenges

1 9

2 .2.5 O ther s ites S ummary

2 2 2 3

T HE F LOODPLAIN T ERRACE

2 6

3 .1

I ntroduction

2 6

3 .2

T errace m orphology a nd c omposition 3 .2.1 D istribution

2 6 2 6

3 .2.2

C omposition a nd

2 9

3 .2.3

P eriglacial

3 .3 3 .4

3 .5

s edimentary s tructures

f eatures

3 0

A ge

3 1

S edimentology

3 3

3 .4.1 3 .4.2

A nalytical m ethods D ownstream c hanges

3 3 3 3

3 .4.3

F luvial m orphology a nd h ydrology

4 0

P revious s tudies R ecent p alynological

4 5 4 5

P lants 3 .5.1 3 .5.2

4 5 s tudies

3 .6

V ertebrates

4 9

3 .7

N on-marine M ollusca 3 .7.1 I dentification

5 0 5 0

3 .7.2 3 .7.3

I nterpretation M id-Devensian f aunas

5 1 5 3

3 .7.4

L ate-Devensian f aunas

5 3

i v

P age

3 .8

I nsects 3 .8.1 3 .8.2 3 .8.3

3 .9 4 .

5 4 5 5 5 5

3 .8.4 I dentification 3 .8.5 I nterpretation H istory o f d eposition

6 1 6 2 6 5

T HE S UMMERTOWN-RADLEY T ERRACE

6 9

4 .1

I ntroduction

4 .2

D istribution, c omposition a nd s tratigraphy o f S ummertown-Radley T errace 4 .2.1 D istribution 4 .2.2 C omposition a nd s tratigraphy 4 .2.3

4 .3

4 .4

5 .

5 4 F undamentals S ampling T echniques

6 9 t he

V ertebrates

7 0 7 0 7 3 7 4

T he E ynsham G ravel a t M agdalen C ollege, 4 .3.1 S ite d escription 4 .3.2 A rchaeological f inds

O xford

7 4 7 4 7 8

4 .3.3 4 .3.4

C last i mbrication P article s ize

7 9 7 9

4 .3.5 4 .3.6 4 .3.7

C last l ithology P ollen N on-marine M ollusca

8 2 8 5 8 7

4 .3.8 P alaeo-environmental i nterpretation T he S tanton H arcourt G ravel a t S tanton H arcourt 4 .4.1 S tratigraphy a nd s edimentology 4 .4.2 N on-marine M ollusca 4 .4.3 H istory o f d eposition

8 9 9 0 9 0 1 02 1 06

T HE S TANTON H ARCOURT C HANNEL

1 08

5 .1

S tratigraphy a nd s edimentology 5 .1.1 T he c hannel s ediments

1 08 1 08

5 .1.2 5 .1.3

1 11 1 11

5 .2 5 .3 5 .4

5 .5 5 .6

5 .7

H istory o f c hannel P alaeohydrology

s edimentation

P lant r emains V ertebrates N on-marine M ollusca

1 14 1 14 1 18

5 .4.1 5 .4.2

1 18 1 26

A nalytical p rocedures L ocal e nvironment

5 .4.3 R egional O stracoda

c limate

I nsects

1 31 1 31 1 32

5 .6.1

T he l ocal

5 .6.2

R egional

C onclusions

e nvironment c limate

1 32 1 37 1 37

P age 6 .

S YNTHESIS

1 39

6 .1

T owards a n ew P leistocene c hronology o f t he U pper T hames

1 39

6 .2

T he t errace-channel s equence i n t he U pper T hames 6 .2.1 T he F loodplain T errace 6 .2.2 T he S ummertown-Radley T errace

1 39 1 39 1 40

6 .2.3 6 .2.4

1 41

6 .3

6 .4

6 .5

6 .6

T he W olvercote T errace a nd W olvercote C hannel T he H anborough T errace, S ugworth C hannel a nd P lateau D rift

1 44

6 .2.5 S ummary C orrelation a nd c hronology 6 .3.1 T he E ynsham G ravel 6 .3.2 T he S tanton H arcourt G ravel

1 44 1 44 1 46 1 48

6 .3.3 6 .3.4

1 48

T he S tanton H arcourt C hannel T he W olvercote C hannel, W olvercote T errace a nd Hanborough T errace

Q uaternary p alaeo-environments a nd h uman o ccupation o f t he U pper T hames

1 51 1 51

6 .4.1 T he r iver t errace g ravels 6 .4.2 T he c hannel i nfills 6 .4.3 P hases o f e rosion P alaeolithic m an i n t he U pper T hames: a c hronological a nd e nvironmental f ramework

1 56

6 .5.1 6 .5.2 6 .5.3 6 .5.4

T he T he T he T he

1 57 1 57 1 59 1 59

6 .5.5 6 .5.6

T he S tanton H arcourt G ravel T he E ynsham G ravel

1 60 1 61

6 .5.7

T he F loodplain T errace

1 61

Hanborough T errace W olvercote T errace W olvercote C hannel S tanton H arcourt C hannel

C onclusions

1 62

R EFERENCES A DDENDUM :

1 52 1 55 1 55

1 65 N ew e xposure i n t he W olvercote C hannel

v i

1 75

L IST O F F IGURES 1

D istribution o f

r iver

2

T he a ltitudinal

r elationships o f

U pper T hames

( after S andford

3

F ind

4

L arge p ointed

6

F lint

t he

h andaxe o f D orchester

h andaxe

s howing

i n t he U pper T hames

t errace d eposits o f

f lint,

i n t he U pper T hames V alley

a pproaching

D orchester

W ell-flaked,

s harp

t he f icron t ype,

( ?Summertown-Radley T errace)

f ine L ate A cheulian

B erinsfield,

t he

1 924)

s pots o f P alaeolithic h andaxes

B erinsfield, 5

t errace d eposits

( or M icoquian) w orking,

( ?Floodplain T errace)

o vate h andaxe i n f lint,

B erinsfield,

D orchester 7

C onventional A cheulian h andaxe B erinsfield,

f ashioned

f rom a q uartzite p ebble,

D orchester

8

P ointed

h andaxe

i n q uartzite,

B erinsfield,

9

Q uartzite o vate h andaxe w ith a n ' S

t wist,

D orchester f rom S mith's P it,

S tanton Harcourt 1 0

H andaxe

o n a f lat

q uartzite p ebble f rom S mith's P it,

S tanton

H arcourt 1 1

P ointed

f lint

c racked, 1 2

h andaxe o f M id-Acheulian t ype,

D rayton,

D istribution o f

n ear A bingdon

r olled

a nd

f rost-

( ?Summertown-Radley T errace)

t he F loodplain T errace g ravels,

s howing

s ample

l ocations 1 3

L ong

p rofiles

t erraces

o f

o f

t he F loodplain,

t he U pper T hames,

b orehole d ata

a s

S ummertown-Radley a nd W olvercote i ndicated b y

f ield

( borehole d ata f rom R obson 1 976,

s ections a nd

H arries 1 977,

C orser 1 978) 1 4

V ariations

i n m ean a nd m edian p article d iameter

w ith d istance

d ownstream i n t he F loodplain T errace g ravels 1 5

P article

s ize d istribution i n

A shton K eynes 1 6

V ariations

t he F loodplain T errace g ravels

a t

a nd D orchester

i n m ean p article d iameter o f

t he b edload

c omponent

w ith d istance d ownstream i n t he F loodplain T errace g ravels 1 7

P article

i mbrication a nd

f oreset

o rientation i n t he F loodplain

T errace g ravels 1 8

S ection

t hrough

T errace

a t

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace a nd

S mith's P it,

S tanton H arcourt

v ii

( SP

F loodplain

4 02053)

1 9

D istribution o f a t w hich a nd

2 0

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace,

i nterglacial m aterials w ere

S andford

S ection i n

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels O xford,

P article i mbrication i n M agdalen C ollege,

2 2

P article

( 1946)

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels

a t

O xford

s ize d istributions

D istribution o f

a t M agdalen

M arch 1 984

o f

T errace a t M agdalen C ollege, 2 3

l ocations

b y D ines

( 1924)

C ollege D eer P ark , 2 1

s howing

i dentified

g ravels

f rom

t he S ummertown-Radley

O xford

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace

i n t he a rea a round

S tanton Harcourt 2 4

G eneralised c ross s ection t hrough t he S ummertown-Radley T errace a nd F loodplain T errace n ear S tanton Harcourt

2 5

G eneralised s tratigraphy o f t he S ummertown-Radley T errace, s howing t he p osition o f t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel

2 6

S ections a t

2 7

t hrough t he B asal

S ands o f

t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel

S tanton Harcourt

S ection i n

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace a t

S tanton Harcourt,

J uly 1 979 2 8

P article

i mbrication a nd

Harcourt G ravel 2 9

P article

a t

f oreset o rientation i n t he S tanton

S tanton Harcourt

s ize d istributions

i n

t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel

a t

S tanton Harcourt 3 0

F orms

o f

i ce-wedge c ast

i n

t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel

a t

S tanton

Harcourt 3 1

S ample

s ites

G ravel

a t

f or n on-marine M ollusca i n t he S tanton H arcourt

S tanton Harcourt

3 2

T he S tanton Harcourt

3 3

P article

3 4

S ampled

3 5

3 6

3 8

s ections

f rom

t he S tanton Harcourt

i n t he S tanton Harcourt f rom

a bsolute c ounts

N on-marine M ollusca

f rom

C hannel

C hannel

t he S tanton Harcourt

C hannel,

s ites D 5

( individuals/kg d ry w eight) C hannel,

s ites D 5

N on-marine M ollusca f rom t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel, a nd D 6: p ercentages i n S parks h abitat g roups.

s ites D 5

N on-marine M ollusca

s ites D 31,

a nd D 6: 3 7

s ize d istributions

N on-marine M ollusca a nd D 6:

C hannel

t he S tanton Harcourt

p ercentage c ounts

D 32 a nd D 33:

f rom

t he S tanton H arcourt

p ercentage c ounts

v iii

C hannel,

3 9

N on-marine M ollusca D 32 a nd

4 0

D 33:

f rom

t he S tanton H arcourt

p ercentages

N on-marine M ollusca a bsolute c ounts

f rom

i n S parks

h abitat

C hannel,

s ites D 31,

g roups

t he S tanton Harcourt

C hannel,

s ite D 61:

( individuals/kg d ry w eight)

4 1

N on-marine M ollusca p ercentage c ounts

f rom

t he S tanton Harcourt

C hannel,

s ite D 61,

4 2

N on-marine M ollusca

f rom

t he S tanton Harcourt

C hannel,

s ite D 61:

p ercentages 4 3

Q uaternary c hronology a nd t errace a nd

4 4

i n S parks' h abitat g roups

R e-interpretation o f ( compare w ith F ig.

4 5

r egional

c hannel d eposits

T he Q uaternary

t he

o f

t errace

c orrelation o f

t he r iver

t he U pper T hames s equence o f

t he U pper T hames

2 )

s equence o f

w ith P alaeolithic a rtefact

t he U pper T hames f inds

i x

a nd

i ts

r elationship

L IST O F P LATES 1 .

I ce-wedge c ast i n t he g ravels o f t he F loodplain T errace a t S tandlake ( SP 3 92020). N ote a lso t he t wo c ryturbation l ayers:

a

l ower l ayer j ust a bove t he s pade h andle ( marked b y t he d eformed b ed o f s ilt) a nd a n u pper l ayer a t t he t op o f t he i ce-wedge c ast. 2 .

S ection i n t he F loodplain T errace d eposits a t B rown's P it, N orthmoor

3 .

4 .

( SP 4 17040).

S ee t ext

S ection i n t he F loodplain T errace d eposits a t S tandlake ( SP 3 92020), s howing s ilts a nd o rganic m uds d eposited a t t he m argins o f a s hallow f loodplain b asin. S ection a t

t he j unction o f

t he S ummertown-Radley a nd F loodplain

T errace d eposits a t S mith's P it, 5 .

f or i nterpretation.

S tanton H arcourt

T usk o f m ammoth ( Mammuthus p rimigenius)

a t

( SP 4 02033).

s ite D 39 i n t he

S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits. 6 .

M andible o f y oung m ammoth ( Mammuthus p rimigenius) t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits

a t

s ite 0 804 i n

7 .

C lose u p o f t he m andible o f M ammuthus p rimigenius f rom s ite 0 804 i n t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel d eposits.

L IST O F T ABLES 1

Handaxe f inds

i n t he U pper T hames V alley

2

R adiocarbon d ates

3

S edimentology o f

4

P ollen f requencies

5

N on-marine M ollusca f rom t he F loodplain T errace g ravels

6

I nsects

7

S ites i n t he F loodplain T errace

8

M odern g eographical

f rom

1 0

f rom t he F loodplain T errace g ravels

f rom t he F loodplain T errace g ravels

r anges o f

V ertebrate f auna o f

C last

1 2

1 3

C last

l ithologies o f

1 4

e xotic i nsect

s pecies

f rom t he

f or t he S ummertown-Radley T errace O xford

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels a t

O xford

l ithologies o f

t he S ummertown-Radley a nd W olvercote

g ravels o f

t he U pper T hames

P ollen a nd

a lgal m icrofossils

C ollege,

f or i nsects

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels

P article s ize p arameters

Magdalen C ollege,

s ampled

t he U pper T hames

g ravels a t M agdalen C ollege, 1 1

t he F loodplain T errace

t he F loodplain T errace d eposits

F loodplain T errace o f 9

t he d eposits o f

f rom t he E ynsham G ravel

t errace

a t M agdalen

O xford

N on-marine M ollusca f rom t he E ynsham G ravel

a t M agdalen C ollege,

O xford 1 5

S edimentology o f

1 6

N on-marine M ollusca f rom t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel a t Harcourt

1 7

S edimentology o f

t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel

t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel

a t

S tanton Harcourt S tanton

a nd S tanton Harcourt

C hannel 1 8

P alaeohydrology o f

1 9

N on-marine M ollusca f rom t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel

2 0

T he

t he S tanton Harcourt

C hannel

r elationship b etween d epositional e nvironment a nd

a bundance a nd

s pecies d iversity o f

S tanton Harcourt

t he

t he m olluscan f aunas

i n t he

C hannel

2 1

I nsects

f rom t he S tanton Harcourt

2 2

T he Q uaternary s equence i n t he M idlands

x i

C hannel ( after S hotton 1 976)

P REFACE

T hroughout m an's

h istory,

l owland

r iver v alleys h ave

a cted

a s

a

m ajor f ocus f or h uman s ettlement a nd o ccupation. T his w as t rue n o l ess i n P alaeolithic t imes t han i t i s n ow. T he l ocal a vailability o f w ater, s helter a ttraction, i f

a nd n ot

g ood g ame p astures m ust a lways h ave b een a n f or p ermanent s ettlement a t l east f or w andering

h unting p arties. A s a r esult, r iver t errace d eposits i n t hese v all eys c ommonly c ontain a w ealth o f P alaeolithic m aterials. T he

s tudy o f

t hese a rtefacts,

h owever,

i s

n ot w ithout

i ts

p rob-

l ems. m ental

A ttempts t o u nravel t heir c hronological s equence a nd e nvironi mplications, f or e xample, h ave b een h ampered b y u ncertainties

a bout

t he d egree o f

t ionship

t o

d erivation o f

t he d eposits

t hat

t he m aterials

c ontain t hem.

a nd

t heir

t rue

r ela-

T he r ivers w hich a ttrac-

t ed m an w ere a lso c apable o f r emoving a nd t ransporting t he t ools h e l eft o n t he f loodplain. F requently, m ultiple r eworking o f t he r iver g ravels m ust h ave o ccurred d uring s uccessive p eriods o f g ravel a ggradation, r edistributing t he i mplements a nd t aking f rom

t heir o riginal

b een a dopted

i n

N evertheless, o f

s ome

o f

c ontext.

t rying

t o

U nderstandably c aution h as

i nterpret

t herefore

t hese m aterials.

t hese a rtefacts r emain t he o nly e vidence

t he e arliest

l owland B ritain, a nd a s e xamination. M oreover,

p hases

t errace t hem f ar

a vailable

o f h uman p resence i n m any

p arts

s uch t hey a re w orthy o f t he f ullest p ossible i n r ecent y ears, d evelopments i n s edimento-

l ogy a nd p alaeo-ecology h ave e nabled m uch m ore t o b e l earned t he e nvironmental c onditions i n w hich t he r iver g ravels a nd c ontained

a rtefacts

s tructing n eed o f

e xists

t hese

t o

T he

t heir

U pper T hames

w ork.

l ithic

r e-evaluate

a dvances a nd

i nvestigation o f

s uch

a ccumulated,

a nd

h ave p rovided

t he c hronology o f P alaeolithic

t hus

N ot a nd

t o

b ut

i s

a

a ttempt

p rovides i t

a

a b asis

a bout t heir

f or r econ-

i n t hese a reas. e vidence

r igorous,

T he

i n t he l ight

m ulti-disciplinary

p alaeo-environments.

a n i deal

a cted

i t

v ital

t imes

t he a rtefactual

a ssociated

o nly h as

o ccupation,

d eposits,

o f

a s

a rea i n w hich

a n i mportant

a lso c ontains e lement

t o

e xtensive

i n a ttempts

c arry

a rea f or

t o

r iver

o ut

P alaeot errace

u nderstand

t he

Q uaternary h istory o f s outhern B ritain. T he r iver t erraces o f t he U pper T hames h ave a lso b een s tudied i n c onsiderable d etail b oth b y S andford

a nd

o thers d uring

g eomorphologists, T his

r eport

a n a ttempt 1 .

t o i t

t he 1 920s

e cologists,

t herefore p resents t ackle

f our

r e-assesses

P alaeolithic

r esults

f undamental t he

a nd,

m ore r ecently,

p alaeontologists

f rom t hese r ecent

x i i

s tudies

t he p rovenance

i n t he r iver g ravels

T hames;

b y a t eam o f

a rchaeologists. i n

i ssues:

i nformation o n

a rtefacts

a nd

o f

t he

o f

t he U pper

i i.

i t

e stablishes

p hic p rocesses r epresented b y a rtefacts; i ii.

i t

d escribes

i n d etail a nd t he

t he n ature o f

t he f luvial g eomor-

t he l ocal a nd r egional e nvironment f luvial s ediments w hich c ontain t he

i n d etail

t he p alaeo-ecological a nd

g ical e vidence o btained b y r ecent s tudies o f a i mportant s ites a nd d eposits i n t he a rea; i v.

c hronolos eries

o f

o n t he b asis o f t his e vidence, i t s ets o ut a n ew s tratigrap hic a nd c hronological f ramework f or t he P alaeolithic a rtef acts a nd t errace g ravels i n t he U pper T hames v alley a nd a ssesses t heir m ore g eneral s ignificance f or B ritish Q uaternary h istory.

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T hanks

a re d ue

t o t he m any i ndividuals a nd

o rganisations w ho h ave

h elped i n t his r esearch. I n p articular, w e a re g rateful t o A mey R oadstone C orporation a nd S mith's S and a nd G ravel C ompany f or p rovidi ng

a ccess

C ollege,

t o

t he g ravel

O xford,

p its

i n t he a rea.

T he B ursar o f

k indly g ave p ermission f or

e xcavations

M agdalen

i n t he D eer

P ark, a nd w e t hank M r. M alone f or a ssistance o n s ite. S imilarly, w e g ratefully a cknowledge t he s upport o f t he N ature C onservancy C ouncil i n p roviding a J CB a nd o perator f or t he e xcavation a t M agdalen l ege. P art o f t he c ost o f e xcavations a t S tanton Harcourt w ere m itigated

b y a B ritish G eomorphological R esearch G rant,

C ola lso

f or w hich w e

a re g rateful. M any o f t he d iagrams i n t his r eport w ere d rawn b y c artographers i n t he D epartment o f G eography a t S heffield U niversity, a nd t heir h elp a nd t he D epartment's s upport a re g reatly a ppreciated. T hanks a re a lso d ue t o R ogan J enkinson f or i dentifying s ome o f t he v ertebrate m aterials. I n

a ddition,

w e h ave a n umber

o f

i ndividual d ebts

t o

a cknowl-

e dge. D avid B riggs w ishes t o t hank t he U niversity o f S heffield p roviding a r esearch g rant t owards t he c ost o f f ieldwork. T hanks

f or a re

a lso e xtended t o D r. D erek R oe o f t he B aden-Powell Q uaternary R esearch C entre i n O xford f or u seful d iscussions, a nd t o D ave a nd J uliet

F ield

t ance

o f

S pecial f ield

f or t heir

C hris t hanks

a nd

a re d ue

R ussell Q ueensford

s upport

C oope s ite a nd

a nd

t hanks

a lso

T he a ssis-

a cknowledged.

i nvaluable h elp

w ith

B ev A rrand

f or

e ncouragement.

a ssistance

i n t he

f or

d iscovering

f ield

a nd

t he

i dentifica-

p articularly o f H elophorus.

e xpress h is

t he f ield

B ristol,

f or h er

R obert A ngus

s pecies, t o

i s

t o A nn B riggs a nd

c onstant

G ilbertson w ishes

U niversity o f

a nd

D r.

f or h is

t he m ore d ifficult

D avid

H arris

t o J ill U lmanis

i nstitutions w hich s upported h ere:

a nd g enerous h ospitality.

a nd L ynda

l aboratory a nalyses,

t heir a ssistance,

t ion o f

f requent

G riffin

t hanks

t o

t he

f ollowing

o r l aboratory s tudies

D epartment

o f G eology;

r eported

P lymouth P oly-

t echnic, S chool o f E nvironmental S ciences, a nd e specially M r. P .C. S imms; t he U niversity o f A delaide, D epartment o f G eography; a nd m ost r ecently, t he U niversity o f w hich m itigated a l ittle o f w ork. o ver

M rs. p art

o f

K athryn C artledge a nd M r. h is

r esearch c omponent

i ng d own m icroscopes N igel s cholarship

S heffield a nd R esearch G rant n o. 4 18 t he f inancial c osts i nvolved i n f ield-

T hew h eld

t he U niversity o f

b ecame

t oo m uch

a cknowledges i n

t he

N igel T hew b oth g enerously

r eported

f or h is d ecrepit

s upport

t he D epartment

S heffield.

x v

i n t his

o f

a n S ERC

t ext

w hen

t ook p eer-

e yes. o ne-year

o f P rehistory a nd A rchaeology

M .A. a t

R .J. made

M acRae g ratefully a cknowledges

a vailable

t o h im o ver a l ong p eriod

t he f acilities

f or r esearch

a t

B aden-Powell

t he D onald

Q uaternary R eaearch C entre i n O xford. H e i s e specially i ndebted t o D r. D erek R oe f or s crutiny o f t he t ext o n p rehistory, f or v aluable s uggestions, s ome e mendations a nd g enerous p ermission t o p ublished a nd u npublished m aterial. T hanks r eproduce o f O xford

a re a lso d ue

t o

d raw

o n

t he E ditor o f O xoniensa f or p ermission t o

s ome o f t he p alaeolith i llustrations, f or h is d rawings o f s pecimen a rtefacts.

XV

a nd

t o

J eff Wallis

C hapter I .

I NTRODUCTION

( with R .J.

1 .1.

M acRae)

T HE C ONTEXT O F R ECENT R ESEARCH I N T HE U PPER T HAMES U PPER V ALLEY R iverine

e nvironments

h ave

a cted

a s a

f ocus

f or

h abitation

t hroughout t he p eriod o f m an's e xistence. T his i s l ikely t o h ave b een t rue n o l ess i n P alaeolithic t imes t han l ater: t he a ttraction t o w andering h erds o f g ame m ust s imilarly h ave d rawn m an. T oday, m any

o f

t hese a reas h ave d ifferent

a ttractions,

f or

t he

e xtensive

s and a nd g ravel d eposits l aid d own d uring p eriods o f p ast a ggradation r epresent v ital r esources w hich a re n ow b eing c ially c ess,

e xploited t he

t he n ature,

t hose

o n a g reater

e xcavation o f

S ince d ug

e xtent t he i nto

a nd

s cale

t han e ver b efore.

t hese d eposits

e nvironments o f

f luvial c ommer-

I n t he

p ro-

i s p roviding m uch e vidence o n p ast h uman s ettlement.

m iddle o f t he 1 9th c entury g ravel p its, e specially r iver t erraces, h ave b een t he c hief s ource o f L ower

a nd M iddle P alaeolithic f lint a nd o ther s tone a rtefacts. M ost n otable a mong t hese a re t he b ifacially-flaked t ools u nder t he g eneric t erm o f h andaxes, t hese b eing t he m ost s pectacular a nd e asilyr ecoverable e vidence o f e arly m an's p resence i n r iver v alleys. W hen g ravel w as h and-dug a nd g raded, w orkmen c ould n ot f ail t o s pot h anda xes w hich t hey s old t o e arly c ollectors w ho b uilt m useum a nd p rivate c ollections. W ith c entury a nd

t he a dvent

o f m echanical d igging

s uch m eticulous

c ountless

s ifting o f

a round

s ampled

a lso, a nd

t he m iddle o f

a rtefacts h ave b een f ed u nknowingly i nto

m ethods h ave i mproved, w ith

t echniques o f t he r esult

c onsiderable

t he g ravels h as b een

c rushers. I n g eneral, t he r ate o f r ecovery o f s lowed d own, b ut o ther b enefits h ave a ccrued. i mproved

u p

t hat

r ecording

t he

r oadstone

p alaeoliths h as b een A s a rchaeological a nd d escription

a rtefact-bearing

a nalysed w ith m uch g reater r igour.

t his

i mpossible,

A t

s ites

h ave

a re

t he s ame

n ow t ime,

a dvances i n o ther d isciplines - i n s edimentology, p aleohydrology a nd p alaeo-ecology - h ave e nabled t he a ssociated s ediments a nd b iogenic m aterials

t o b e

m ulation

o f

e nvironment

i nterpreted m ore

f ully,

a c onsiderable b ody o f o f

t he

a rtefacts.

a nd

h ave p ermitted

i nformation

o n

t he

t he a ccuc ontextual

M ultidisciplinary s tudies h ave

l ed

t o

a c learer u nderstanding n ot o nly o f t he s ignificance o f t he a rchaeol ogical m aterials, b ut a lso o f t heir e nvironmental a nd c hronological r elationships. 1 .2

E VIDENCE F OR HUMAN S ETTLEMENT I N T HE U PPER T HAMES B ASIN

N owhere i s T hames. G ravel t ury, b ut s ince T he c learance o f

t his m ore t rue t han i n t he v alley h as b een d ug i n t his a rea t hroughout

o f t he U pper t he 1 9th c en-

t he 1 950s e xcavation h as c ontinued o n a v ast s cale. t opsoil a nd r ecent a lluvium b efore t he p its a re d ug 1

h as

g iven

t ies

t o

p ost-Palaeolithic

e xcavate a nd

M edieval

i n

r ecord

a rchaeologists u nprecendented n umerous

s ites

t he 8 0km b etween L echlade

a nd

t he G oring G ap.

p revious a ppears

t hree h undred a nd f ifty t housand y ears o r s o o f t o h ave c aught t he i nterest o f o nly a v ery f ew

g ists.

H ardly

a ny c ontrolled

o pportuni-

f rom t he M esolithic

t he t he

p rehistory a rchaeoloi n

t he

l ast h alf-century, a nd t he r ecovery o f P alaeolithic m aterial h as b een s tepped-up i n t he l ast f ifteen y ears.

o nly

N evertheless, t hat

t he

e xcavations h ave

t o

B ut

a rtefacts

t he U pper T hames w as

t hat

h ave b een r ecovered

e xtensively,

t he h unter/fisher/gatherers o ccasionally v isited t his

t aken p lace

i f

o nly s parsely,

i ndicate

o ccupied

b y

w ho, o ver a n i mmense p eriod o t t ime, r emote c orner o f n orth-western E urope,

p robably i n s mall h unting b ands d uring t emperate e pisodes. I f w e i nclude t he a ncient c hannel a t H enly-on-Thames ( geographically p art o f t he M iddle T hames b asin) a bout 1 000 L ower P alaeolithic h andaxes a nd o f

a n e stimated 1 2,000 f lakes, c ores a nd o ther h umanly-worked p ieces f lint a nd q uartzite h ave b een f ound i n t he c ounty o f O xfordshire

o ver

t he

l ast

f raction o f r emembered h ave m ade,

t he

h undred t otal

y ears.

s tone

W hile

t ools

t his m ust

r epresent

t hat w ere m anufactured,

a

s mall

i t m ust b e

t hat o ne g roup o f h unters i n o ne s ummer c ould q uite e asily u sed a nd d iscarded h undreds o f h andaxes a nd t wenty t imes

a s many p ieces o f d ebitage. F rom t he r elative s carcity o f a rtefacts i n t he U pper T hames r egion, i t m ust b e a ssumed t hat m an's v isits w ere s pasmodic, w ith v ery l ong i ntervals o f t ime b etween w hen c limatic c onditions w ere u nfavourable, o r a ccess f rom E urope w as n on-existent, o r, s imply, t he h unting w as b etter e lsewhere. R oe O xford

( 1976) l ies

h as

p ointed

t owards

o f L ower P alaeolithic l ess o f

o ut:

" In g eneral,

t he n orth-western e dge o f s ites

t ails

o ff

s aid

t hat

d istribution

i n B ritain...the d ensity o f

t han i n t he M iddle T hames;

f inds

i t m ay b e t he m ain

s ites

n orth a nd w est o f O xford

i s m uch

t he n umber

r apidly."

I nterpretation

o f

t he a rtefactual

e vidence

i s h ampered

b y

t he

n ature o f t he f inds s o f ar made i n t he a rea. T here a re n o p rimary c ontext s ites - s ites w hich i nclude u ndisturbed P alaeolithic i ndust ries

- a nd

a ll

a rtefacts

a ppear

t o h ave b een moved

t o

s ome

d egree

f rom t heir p lace o f m anufacture b y n atural a gencies s uch a s f luvial a ction o r s olifluction. T he e xtent o f s uch m ovement i s c onjectural; n onetheless, o f

t he

e arly

R oe

( 1976)

t ime-range o f H oxnian

o r

t hat

t he a rtefacts

i nter-Anglian t imes

s parsely-represented S tone

b elieves

i mplements

p ast h uman a ctivity.

" encompass

t he B ritish L ower P alaeolithic...going b ack s tage

i nto

a lone,

e xtending w ith

i ts

t o l ast

t he e arly o r m iddle D evensian."

h owever,

W ithout

a nd

m ost

p rovide l imited

c ontemporaneous

i nformation o n

a ssociated

m aterials,

t hey c an r arely b e r egarded a s r eliable i ndicators o f a ny g iven c ultural p eriod i n t he d evelopment o f e arly m an. N or d o t he i mplements

r eveal

a nything

s pecific

a bout

t he d etails

o f

t ion, f amily o r s ocial a nd c ultural g roupings o f o r a bout t he t iming a nd d uration o f t heir v isits c ause

o f

m aterials d ifficult o f

t he

t he a nd

u ncertain t he d eposits

t o make

r elationships i n w hich

p recise d eductions

b etween

t he d iet,

t he

t hey w ere b uried, a bout

i mplements.

2

h abita-

t hese e arly p eople, t o t he a rea. B ea rtefactual i t

t he e nvironmental

i s

a lso

c ontext

A t

a m ore g eneral

l earned.

T he

l evel,

h owever,

v ast majority o f

t here

i s m uch w hich c an

t he P alaeolithic

i mplements

b e

f rom t he

U pper T hames h ave b een f ound i n r iver t errace a nd c hannel d eposits, l aid d own u nder a v ariety o f r iverine e nvironments. W ithin t hese d eposits o ccur a bundant b iological r emains, n otably n on-marine M ollusca,

i nsects,

O stracoda,

f ossils.

T ogether

w ith

v ertebrates,

t he

e vidence o f

p ollen a nd

t he

p lant m acro-

s ediments

a nd

t heir

a ssociated d epositional, p eriglacial a nd s uperficial t ectonic s truct ures, t hese m aterials p ermit t he r econstruction o f p ast c onditions i n t he U pper T hames b asin,

i ncluding d etails o f

l ogy, f loodplain m orphology a nd e cology. t o s pecific h uman a rtefacts i nvolves a

t he c limate,

T o r elate d egree o f

h ydro-

t hese p recisely i nference a nd

a ssumption w hich i s r arely j ustified, b ut w hat i s f easible a nd i nf ormative i s t o b uild a p icture o f t he e nvironmental f ramework w ithin w hich

P alaeolithic m an l ived

w hen h uman o ccupancy w ould

w ithin t his a rea,

T o h ave g eneral m eaning, a lso b e

t ied

a nd

i ndicate p eriods

h ave b een u nlikely o r i mpossible. t his

t o a c hronological

p roblems a re e ncountered P alaeolithic o ccupation.

e nvironmental

f ramework.

r econstruction m ust

U nfortunately,

t imescales w hich w ere f ormerly b ased u pon t he t ypology a rtefacts a re a t b est o ver-simplistic a nd, i n many c ases, b e

g rossly m isleading.

b een o f

v oiced

a bout

B ritain,

O n t he o ther h and,

t he v alidity o f

w hich h as

i nterpretations

( e.g.

e t

l argely f rom

a l.

o f h uman l ikely t o

i ncreasing d oubts

t he c lassic Q uaternary

b een d eveloped M itchell

( 1979) a rgues, t here s tratigraphy i n o rder

s erious

i n t rying t o i nterpret t he c hronology o f O n t he o ne h and, i t i s n ow a ccepted t hat

1 973).

h ave

c hronology

b iostratigraphic

I nstead,

a s

B owen

i s a n eed t o r eassess a nd v erify t he l ocal t o b uild u p a m ore r eliable w ider p icture o f

Q uaternary e vents i n B ritain. I n e xamining i n d etail t he g eology, e cology a nd a rchaeology o f t he r iver t errace d eposits o f t he U pper T hames, t herefore, a n o pportunity a lso e xists t o d evelop a f irmer c hronology i ng

f or

t he l ocal

a rea w hich c an t hen b e r elated

t o s urround-

r egions.

1 .3

T HE T ERRACE G RAVELS O F T HE U PPER T HAMES T he

T hames

U pper

a nd

i ts

T hames

B asin c an b e d efined

t ributaries u pstream o f

a s

t he

v alley

t he G oring G ap.

o f

L ying

t he

b eyond

t he l imits o f t he U pper Q uaternary i ce-sheets, t his a rea h as e scaped t he d irect e ffects o f g laciation d uring a t l east t he l ast t wo g lacial e pisodes. S imilarly b eyond i nterglacial p hases, i t h as T hroughout m uch o f h as

o wed

r iver

t he Q uaternary,

i ts d evelopment

p rocesses.

T hese

I t

i s

i mportant t hese

a nd

o ne o r many a ges. e lsewhere,

t herefore,

f luvial

t o

t he

a ssociated

h illslope

f ormation o f

e xtensive

i nfills.

i n t his c ontext S trictly,

t o c larify t he t he

t erm

t erminology u sed

-t errace -

o ught

t o b e

f lat o r b ench. S uch f eatures may o r m ay a nd m ay o r m ay n ot t ransgress d eposits o f

I n many p revious h owever,

t he U pper T hames b asin

a ction a nd

h ave l ed

c hannel

f eatures.

r estricted t o a n e rosional n ot b e f luvial i n o rigin, a nd

t o

p rocesses

t errace g ravels

t o d escribe

t he r each o f marine t ransgression d uring b een u naffected b y c hanges i n s ea l evel.

t he

s tudies,

t erm r iver

b oth i n t he U pper T hames

t errace h as

b een u sed

m ore

l oosely t o d escribe b oth t he r elief f eature a nd t he d eposits o f w hich i t i s c omposed. T his l eads t o c onsiderable m isunderstanding, f or t he r elationship

b etween

t he

d eposits

a nd 3

t he

s urface

f orm

i s

n ot

4 D istribution c o a ) 5 c o = H

t errace

5 0-

P lateau D rift 40

Hanborough T errace

30

Wo lvercote Channe l

S u m merto wn-Rad ley

Wo lvercote

T errace

T errace

A l luv iu m F loodp la in T e rrace

F igure 2 .

T he

n ecessarily

a ltitudinal

r elationships o f

t he U pper

t hames

s imple.

I n s ome c ases,

t he

t errace d eposits

o f

( after S andford 1 924).

a dmittedly,

t he r elief

o f

t he

t errace s urface r eflects t he r elief o f t he r iver f loodplain i mmediat ely b efore f luvial i ncision l eft t he d eposits p erched a s a t errace f eature o n t he h illside.

B ut,

i n o ther

s ituations,

i ng a nd d eposition m ay c onsiderably m odify t he t he r elief o f t he t errace s urface i s u nrelated

e rosion,

r ework-

s urface f orm, s o t hat t o t hat o f t he o rigi-

n al f loodplain; i n t his c ase t he s urface f orm i s n ot a r eliable i ndicator o f p revious f loodplain p osition o r s patial r elationships. C onsequently, t he p resent a uthors h ave a dopted u sing t he t erm ' river t errace d eposits o r ' river

t he c onvention o f t errace g ravels' t o

r efer s pecifically t o t he m aterials o f w hich t he t errace i s c omposed, w hilst t he t erm ' terrace f lat' o r ' terrace s urface' i s e mployed t o d escribe

t he m orphological

s urface o f

t he f eature.

A lthough

t hese

t erms a re s omewhat c umbersome, t hey p rovide a d egree o f c ontinuity w ith p revious s tudies, w hilst a voiding t he d angers o f a mbiguity. T he g eneral s equence T hames w as e stablished s ome r ecognised

f ive s ets o f

o f p ossibly g lacial

t errace g ravels

o rigin.

L owest:

i .

T he F igure

t heir

a h igher,

o rder h e

s cattered d rift

n amed

t hese:

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace t he W olvercote T errace

i v.

t he Hanborough T errace

v . v i.

t he C oombe-Freeland T errace t he P lateau D rift

d istribution

1 a nd

a nd

I n a scending

t he F loodplain T errace

i i. i ii.

H ighest:

o f r iver t errace d eposits i n t he U pper s ixty y ears a go b y S andford 8 1924). H e

o f

t hese r iver

a ltitudinal

t errace d eposits

r elationships

L ater w ork h as g enerally c onfirmed 5

t his

i s

s hown

i n

i n F igure 2 . s equence,

a lthough t here

i s

n ow e vidence

d eposit

t han

r elating 1 980),

t o

t he P lateau D rift

t wo d ifferent

p hases

a n umber o f c hannel

S andford ( 1824) ( Fig. 1 ). I ts c ontroversial,

s ubsequently

B ishop

y ielded

o f

h owever,

T he

i mportant

c omplex m aterials

o f

e t

b y

a l.

A rkell

t errace a ggredation.

i nfills h ave b een r ecognised

i n

a nd l ater w orkers r eferred t o a c hannel a t r elationship t o t he W olvercote T errace h as

( 1958)

t errace d eposits.

h as

a m ore

t he Q uaternary ( Shotton

a nd

t errace s equence i s s till c ontentious. described t he c hannel a s i ncised i nto t he

i s

p ossibly c onsisting

t han o ne p hase o f

t o

I n a ddition,

r emained

t hat

t hought,

t he C oombe-Freeland d eposits w ere b elieved

t o b elong

t he a rea. W olvercote

s uggest o nce

m ore

w hile

( 1947)

t o

w as

c laimed

t hat

e xactly h ow i t

f its

i nto

t he

S andford ( 1924) o riginally t he W olvercote T errace, b ut i t

u nderlay,

s ite h as c onsiderable

a rtefactual m aterial,

a nd

p redated,

s ignificance,

i ncluding

f or i t

h andaxes

o f

h ighly s killed m anufacture w hich b elong t o t he f inal A cheulian/ M icoquian s tages. T he c hannel d eposits a lso i ndicate a n i nterglacial p eriod

w hich m ight,

i f

t hey w ere

r igorously a nalysed,

p rovide a b asis

f or c orrelation w ith o ther s ites i n B ritain. U nfortunately, h owever, t he W olvercote C hannel i s n ow l ost b eneath u rban d evelopment, a nd n ew e xcavation i s M ore

n ecessary

r ecently

U pper T hames a lluvium,

l ocate

t he d eposits.

o ther c hannel d eposits h ave b een

b asin.

t here

t o

A t

S ugworth ( Fig.

o ccurs

a d eep

1 ),

s and - a nd

f ound

i n

t he

s ome 4 0m a bove t he m odern p eat - f illed

c hannel

c on-

t aining p rolific v ertebrate a nd i nvertebrate f aunas, a s w ell a s a bundant p lant r emains. O n t he b asis o f i ts a ltitudinal p osition a nd t he b iogenic C romerian 1 978; 1 980).

e vidence t his h as b een a ssigned

I nterglacial

( Briggs

e t a l.

t o d eposition d uring

1 975a;

G ibbard

a nd

t he

P ettitt

B riggs a nd G ilbertson 1 980 ;— G ilbertson 1 980 ; S hotton e t a l. I n a ddition, a b road, s hallow c hannel h as b een d iscovered

b eneath

t he

Harcourt o thers

g ravels

( Briggs h ave

o f

t he S ummertown-Radley

a nd G ilbertson 1 980),

r eferred

t o

a ' buried

T errace

a t

w hile S andford

c hannel' b eneath

S tanton

( 1965)

t he

a nd

F loodplain

T errace. T he d eposits

c hronological i n

i nterpretation

t he U pper T hames

i s

f ar

o f

t he t errace

f rom

a nd

c hannel

i ncontrovertible.

F loodplain T errace d eposits c an b e d ated b y r adiocarbon a ssay, t his b asis c an r eliably b e a scribed t o v arious p hases i n t he h alf

o f

t he D evensian c old

d eposits t o B eyond t hat, s mall

s tage.

t he C romerian w arm h owever, c orrelations

w ay b ecause o f

t he

D ating o f

t he S ugworth

T he a nd o n l atter

C hannel

s tage s imilarly s eems r eliable. a nd d ating a re l ess c ertain, i n n o

i ncreasing u ncertainties

a bout

t he

a dequacy

o f t he t raditional Q uaternary c hrono-stratigraphy i n B ritain ( e.g. B owen 1 979; S umbler 1 983; S hotton 1 983b). T he c hronology o f t errace a ggradation, t herefore, i s o pen t o d ebate, a nd w ill b e d iscussed w ithin

t he b ody o f

t his

C omparable d oubts

r eport. h ave a ttended

s ome o f

t he e nvironmental

i nter-

p retations o f t he r iver t errace a nd c hannel d eposits. T he H anborough T errace g ravels, f or e xample, w ere o riginally i nterpreted a s w arms tage

d eposits

a ssemblage. t hat

m olluscan

d uring T errace

o n

B riggs a nd

t he b asis o f

t heir c ontained

a nd G ilbertson

( 1973 a ,

s edimentological

e vidence

b ),

v ertebrate h owever,

i ndicate

f ossil

h ave s hown a ggradation

a c old-stage. T he c limatic s ignificance o f t he W olvercote i s e qually u ncertain. T omlinson ( 1929) a nd B ishop ( 1958)

r egarded

t he

t errace g ravels a s a p roduct o f o utwash f rom

t he

s o-

c alled C halky B oulder C lay i ce w hich i nvaded t he M idlands a s f ar a s t he C otswold s carp. C ertainly, t he t errace m arks g eologically t he i nflux o f f resh f lint i nto t he E venlode v alley a nd O xford a rea , b ut a r econsideration o f t he m olluscan l ists p ublished f rom t he t errace d eposits ( Sandford 1 924; B ishop 1 958) l ed B riggs a nd G ilbertson ( 1980) t o s uggest t hat t he t errace i s a c omplex f eature; i n a ll p roba bility, E venlode c old,

t he t errace d eposits d ownstream o f t he u pper r eaches o f t he w ere e xtensively r eworked p rior t o f inal a ggradation i n a

t hough n ot f ully g lacial, S imilar

p roblems

h ave

e nvironment.

a lso

f aced

t he

i nterpretation

S ummertown-Radley T errace, w hich a ppears t o b e a c omposite i ncluding b oth w arm a nd c old s tage d eposits. T his, h owever, d iscussed f ully i n C hapters 4 a nd 5 . 1 .4

o f

t he

f eature w ill b e

S UMMARY A lthough t he r egion l ies a t

o f L ower P alaeolithic c learly r epresents a n

t he m argins o f

t he m ain d istribution

s ites i n B ritain, t he U pper T hames b asin i mportant a rea f or t he s tudy o f e arly m an.

T his i mportance i s a ccentuated b y t he c ircumstance t hat t he U pper T hames p rovided a v ital g eographical l ink b etween t he M idlands a nd s outh-east E ngland, a nd t hus o ffers t he o pportunity f or c orrelating Q uaternary e vents i n t hese t wo v ery i mportant a reas. M oreover, t he t errace-channel

s equence w ithin t he U pper T hames

c ontains

a bundant

e vidence o f p ast e nvironmental c onditions i n t he f orm o f s edimentol ogical f eatures, p eriglacial, s edimentary a nd s uperficial t ectonic s tructures, n on-marine M ollusca, i nsects, O stracoda, v ertebrates, p ollen a nd p lant r emains. U nfortunately,

t he o pportunity t o

s tudy o ne o f

t he m ost

c rucial

s ites - t he W olvercote C hannel - n o l onger e xists, b ut i n r ecent y ears m ulti-disciplinary i nvestigations o f t he F loodplain T errace a nd S ummertown-Radley T errace h ave b een c arried o ut. T hese s tudies h ave a llowed a r elatively d etailed a nd i ntegrated p icture o f t he p alaeoe nvironments o f t he U pper T hames b asin t o b e r econstructed a nd h ave l aid t he f oundations f or a r eassessment o f t he Q uaternary c hronology o f s outhern B ritain. T his r eport t herefore o utlines t he P alaeolithic a rchaeology o f t he U pper T hames b asin. I t t hen p resents r esults o f p alaeo-environmental a nalyses o f t he F loodplain a nd S ummertown-Radley t erraces a nd a ssociated c hannel d eposits, s uggests a r evised c hronol ogy o f P alaeolithic t imes i n t he a rea, a nd a ssesses t he r elationship b etween e nvironmental U pper T hames.

c onditions a nd P alaeolithic o ccupation o f

7

t he

C hapter 2 .

P ALAEOLITHIC A RCHAEOLOGY O F T HE U PPER T HAMES B ASIN ( by R .J.

2 .1

P ROBLEMS A ND C HALLENGES A s

h as b een i mplied,

t o a nalyse a nd

i nterpret

t he U pper T hames. i n t he

a n umber

I n p articular,

r aces

b efore

o f d ifficulties

t he e vidence

S andford's

a nd w hile m ethods o f many

o f

s pecific t errace d eposits, w ithin a t errace d eposit. s imilar

p roblems,

i n s itu

g ravel

f rom

s poil

( e.g.

e arly t wentieth

g rid

p oorly d eveloped.

o r g raded

b ut

t er-

r eferencing C onsequent-

b e a ttributed w ith c ertainty

t o

l et a lone t o l evels o r s edimentary u nits E ven t he m ore r ecent f inds s uffer f rom

f or m any h ave n ecessarily b een c ollected

f aces,

o f

f ound

s eminal w ork o n t he r iver

s ite d escription

t he e arly f inds c annot

o ccupation

t he a rtefacts

t he n ineteenth a nd

( 1924)

s edimentary i nterpretations) w ere

l y,

f ace a ny a ttempt

f or P alaeolithic

t he m ajority o f

a rea w ere d iscovered d uring

c enturies, a nd

M acRae)

f rom w orked-over

g ravel

t ips,

f loors o f

o r f rom m oving

n ot

g ravel

f rom p its,

c onveyors.

T he

f irst, a nd b y n o m eans l east, c hallenge i s t herefore t o r elate t he r ecorded m aterial t o i ndividual t errace d eposits. E ven i f t his i s a chieved, material

h owever, p rior

t he p ossibility o f

t o d eposition m ust

t hen s ort

e xists i n t rying o f c hronological

A fter

t hat,

s tyle o f

S everal e xpected

r ecent

t o h elp m eet

a rtefact m orphology ( 1968a,b) a nd t his

a nd

t ransport

b e made

t o u nderstand

o f

t he

A f urther c hallenge

t o c lassify t he a rtefactual material s equence c onsistent w ith i ts f ield

a ttempts m ight

e arly m an i n

r eworking

b e e mphasised.

i nto s ome l ocation.

t he e conomy o r l ife-

t he a rea. a dvances

i n a rchaeological

t hese c hallenges.

t echniques m ight

b e

M ulti-variate a nalysis

o f

a nd t echnology h as b een p ioneered b y o ffers s cope - s o l ong a s t he l imitations

R oe a nd

p itfalls o f t he p rocedures a re k ept i n m ind - t o r ecognise t ypologic al g roupings o f t he i mplements. E xperimental a rtefact f abrication o n a n

i ntensive

s cale - e specially b y P .R.

J ones a t

t he D onald

B aden-

P owell Q uaternary R esearch C entre i n O xford - h as a lso g iven i nsights i nto t he m ethods o f m anufacture a nd l ikely u ses o f t he s tone t ools. A dditionally

t here i s

t he u se o f m icro-wear

a nalyses b y

h igh-powered

l ight o r e lectron m icroscopy, w hich i n t he c ase o f t he U pper T hames P alaeolithic a rtefacts i s o f l imited v alue a t p resent, f or f ew o f t he i mplements 2 .2

a nd

a re i n a nything

l ike

' mint

c ondition.

P ALAEOLITHS F ROM T HE U PPER T HAMES B ASIN A

U pper

f ound

c omprehensive l ist T hames

p rior o f

o f P alaeolithic

1 968 i s

M iddle P alaeolithic

s ites

p rovided

a rtefacts

r ecorded

i n

i n t he C BA g azeteer o f

i n B ritain

( Roe

1 968a).

U ntil

t he L ower t hat

t ime, t wo m ain s ites d ominated r ecords i n t he a rea: t he i nfill d eposits o f t he W olvercote C hannel f rom w hich 8 3 p alaeoliths h ad b een r ecovered,

a nd

I ffley w hich h ad

y ielded 2 9 8

i mplements.

S ince

t hen,

9 o f P alaeolithic h andaxes

t he U pper T hames

m any

o ther

f inds

B erinsfield, W interbourne

h ave b een m ade,

m ost

2 00 i tems, i ncluding 5 6 h andaxes. i n T able 1 . 2 .2.1

n otably i n

t errace g ravels

a t

n ear D orchester ( Fig. 3 ) w here R .J. M acRae a nd C olin ( then e ngineer a t t he w orking p it) h ave c ollected o ver A ll k nown h andaxe

f inds

a re l isted

W olvercote T he

W olvercote

C hannel

a nd

i ts

i nfill

d eposits

r epresent

a

c ritical s ite i n t he U pper T hames b asin, f or u pon i ts i nterpretation h angs t he s olution t o m any o f t he p roblems o f t he Q uaternary c hronos tratigraphy.

I t

s ignificance f or w orked p alaeoliths

i s

a lso a k ey s ite

i n t erms

o f

i ts

a rchaeological

i t h as y ielded m ost o f t he a dvanced a nd f inelyi n t he r egion. T hese a re g enerally a ccepted a s o f

r efined L ate A cheulian m anufacture, w ith a m arked M icoquian i nfluence o f a t ype p arallelled i n s everal o ther B ritish a nd C ontinental s ites ( Roe 1 981). T hey c omprise d istinctive l arge h andaxes w ith c onvex s ections a nd n eat o gee o r a cute p oints. F rom e nd

o f

t his

o ld

b rick p it

t he 1 9th c entury a nd

l ake i n t he m iddle o f

n orth o f O xford C ity, 1 930 ( it

a h ousing

w orked

i s n ow f looded

e state),

a s

p iano-

b etween t he

a n

o rnamental

c ame a v ariety o f

f lint

a nd

q uartzite t ools, a nd m ore w ere r ecovered f rom d rainage t renches N orth R ise n earby i n w hat a ppears t o h ave b een a n e xtension o f

a t t he

d eposits e xposed i n t he b rick-pit. M ost o f t he f inds w ere d ue t o z ealous c ollectors b etween 1 900 a nd 1 910, a nd a lthough a f ew h andaxes may h ave

f ound

a re n ow i n p er c ent t ools

t heir w ay

i nto p rivate c ollections,

t he O xford m useums.

a re d istinctively p lano-convex,

a nd w orked F ound

o n o r

a nd

a bout

I t b ed

o f w hich

1 00 f lakes,

4 0

f lake-

p ieces. i n

t he

s hallow g ravel u nderlying

w ith a l arge p roportion o f t he t otal a rtefacts c ondition, t he i ndustry m ust h ave b een i n s itu, 1 980). c hannel

t he l arge majority

T here a re 8 3 h andaxes,

h as g enerally b een a rgued t hat a nd i ts m argins, a nd w as f ormed

c onditions. A s Wymer s ays, w ere n ot m ixed t ogether o n

a nd

b rickearth,

i n a s harp o r n early

a nd

o r m int s o ( Wymer

t he g ravel w as t he a ctual u nder m ild ( interglacial)

t here i s n o p roof t hat s everal i ndustries t he s tream m argins, " for t hey c ould h ave

b een a pproachable f or s everal t housand y ears". H owever, t he t ypology o f t he h andaxes s uggests a h armonious a ssemblage. T here i s a c omp lete w hich

a bsence o f o vates, c ordates a nd L evallois f lakes a nd c ores, f urther t ends t o c onfirm t he p resence o f a g roup o f A cheulians

w ho made

t heir i mplements

T he

e xact

a ccording

d erivation o f

t he

C hannel d eposits i s n ot c lear. s upposed f luvial " swirl-holes"

t o

t heir o wn

s tone t ools

t radition. f rom

t he

W olvercote

S ome s eem t o h ave b een c ollected f rom a nd d epression i n t he O xford c lay a t

t he b ase o f t he c hannel; o r f rom i ron-cemented f luvial g ravels a bout o ne m etre a bove t he c hannel f loor. E arly r eporting o f t he f inds w as f ar

f rom

e xact - e ven t he d irection o f

f low o f

t he c hannel

o r

i ts

o rientation s eems n ot e xactly r ecorded. A nother m ajor p uzzle a rises: w here d id t he f lint c ome f rom t o m ake s o many l arge h andaxes? N one o f

t he

a djacent

t errace g ravels

c ontains,

o r a ppears

e ver

t o

h ave

c ontained, n odules o f w orkable s ize; i ndeed, s ome o f t he p iano-convex a xes a re f ashioned f rom l arge f lakes, s truck o ff e ven l arger l umps o f f lint.

Y et

t he p resence o f

t he a rtefacts

h aving

t ypical

b een m ade

a t

h andaxe

o r n ear 10

t rimming

t he

f lakes

f ind-spot.

p oints

t o

T able

1 .

H andaxe f inds i n t he U pper T hames V alley

L OCATION

HANDAXES

C OLLECTIONS o r S OURCES

( only) 1

B .M. O xford

( A)

B roadwell

1 1

O xford

( A)

Y elford

1

O xford

( A)

F instock

1

O xford

( A)

S tandlake S tanton Harcourt

1 9

O xfordshire C ounty M useum O xford ( PRM), O xford ( A)

L echlade B ourton o n

( incl. E ynsham

t he W ater

L inch H ill)

C assington Y arnton W olvercote C hannel ( incl.

O xford

( UM)

O xford

( PRM),

O xford

( A)

1

O xford O xford

( PRM) ( PRM),

O xford

( A)

O xford

( UM)

O xford

( PRM),

O xford

( A)

O xford

( UM)

O xford

( PRM),

O xford

( A)

8 3 2

W olvercote T errace O xford

1 3

t he H inkseys)

I ffley

1 9 2 9

O xford

( UM) J .J. Wymer, O xford ( A)

M arsh B aldon C hislehampton

1 2

R adley

2

O xford ( PRM), S teptoe

T hrupp A bingdon

3 5

J . Wallis B M, O xford

1 968 M r.

( A),

J ohn

P eake,

A rch

B erks P .22 e tc. T yldesley, i n O xoniensia 1 984. D rayton B rightwell-cum-Sotwell

4 2

B erinsfield

O xford J .J.

O xford

5 6

( PRM),

W ymer,

J .

Wallis

1 968

( PRM)

D orchester-on-Thames

7

O xford

( A),

N ewnham M urren C holsey

7 1

O xford O xford

( A) ( A)

M oulsford

1

R eading M useum

S outh S toke G oring

1

R eading M useum

1

G oring Heath

1

R eading M useum R .A. S mith, P .P.S.E.A. V ol 1 1,

T OTAL... K ey t o a bbreviations: A shmolean M useum,

N ote:

I t

s hould

P .J.

T ester

1 05-7

2 47

P RM - O xford

P itt R ivers M useum,

UM - O xford U niversity M useum ,

b e

p .

M r.

e mphasised

t hat

h andaxes w hich a re undamaged,

A - O xford

B M - B ritish M useum.

t he a bove l ist

c ontains

o r o nly s lightly d amaged

o nly e ither

i n a ntiquity o r r ecently. F or t he p urposes o f t his r eport i t h as n ot b een t hought n ecessary t o d etail f ragmented i mplements f lakes a nd f lake t ools a nd m iscellaneous w orked p ieces, t hough e qually w ith h andaxes t hey a re i ndicative o f man's p resence i n e arly t imes. A lso t he l ist i ncludes o nly h andaxes a ssociated w ith t he g ravel

t erraces a nd c hannels o f

1 1

t he U pper T hames.

N o

f lint-bearing C retaceas

r ocks

o ccur b etween t he C hilterns

a nd

t he n orth M idlands ( with t he e xception o f a f ew, s mall, o utlying h ills), a nd t he f lints i n t he P lateau D rift m ust h ave b een r otted a nd f rost-shattered

l ong b efore t he m anufacture o f

t hese h andaxes.

i t i s m ost l ikely t hat t he f lint w as m anuported f oothills, 2 0km o r s o t o t he s outh o r w outh-east. T he w ith

t echnological

s ophistication o f

f rom

t hese

t heir c haracteristic p lano-convex f orm,

T hus,

t he

C hiltern

h andaxes,

t ogether

must

p lace

t he

i mple-

m ents q uite f irmly i n t he v ery l ate A cheulian. U nmistakably s imilar i ndustries o ccur i n t he D ordogne a t L a M icoque l evel V I, a t B ockstein I II

a nd

a t d ie K lausennische,

r elatively l ate a ge.

R oe

a ll o f w hich h ave b een

( 1981)

a lso

n otes

o ther F rench a nd G erman i ndustries o f c oncludes o n t he b asis o f a ll t his

d ated

t o

a

t he o ccurrence o f v arious

b roadly s imilar c haracter, a nd e vidence t hat t he W olvercote

C hannel i ndustry m ust o ccupy a v ery l ate p osition i n t he B ritish L ower P alaeolithic s equence. H e t hus r elates t he W olvercote i mplements

t o

t he I pswichian I nterglacial

n ary c hronology. p retation p hological s een,

A s w ill b e

t his u ncertainty h as

h owever,

Q uater-

t his

i nter-

c onsiderable s ignificance o nly o f

f or

i nterpreta-

t he U pper T hames b ut

a lso

I ffley E xcavations

d uring h ere

t he c lassic B ritish

r aises i nsurmountable p roblems i n r elation t o t he g eomore vidence f or t he a ge o f t he C hannel. A s w ill a lso b e

t ions o f t he Q uaternary h istory n ot much m ore w idely. 2 .2.2

o f

s een i n C hapter 6 ,

a t

C ornish's P it,

t he e arly y ears o f a ppear

t o

i nfill

A rtefacts

c entury.

a d eep c hannel w ithin

T errace g ravels ( Arkell 1 947) s ite i s t herefore r elatively t errace.

I ffley ( Fig.

t he p resent

w ere

a nd S andford l ow c ompared

e xtracted

3 ) were c arried T he

t he

t errace

o ut

g ravels

S ummertown-Radley

( 1924) o bserved t hat t o o ther d eposits i n

f rom t he p it b y

a

n umber

t he t his o f

p eople, a nd B ell ( 1904) d escribed t he s ite a s a n " omnum g atherum o f a ll t he d ebris t hat e ver r olled i n t he T hames v alley." S adly, m any o f t he p alaeoliths h ave b een l ost t o p rivate c ollections, w ith t he c onsequence t hat n ot e nough i s k nown a bout e ither t he e xact p rovena nce o r t he t ypology o f t he i mplements. S andford n oted t hat s everal o f t he a rtefacts w ere e mbedded b eneath t he c hannel, majority

o f

t he

a nd

i t

i mplements

w ould

s eem

a re o lder

( 1924), h owever, i n t he O xford C lay

f rom h is d escriptions t han t he g ravels w hich

t hat

t he

o verlie

o r c ontain t hem. I n c ontrast

t o

t he

a rtefacts

f rom W olvercote,

t he

i mplements a t

I ffley a re c rudely made, r ather w orn a nd l enticular, a s o pposed t o p iano-convex, i n s hape. E ight q uartzite h andaxes w ere f ound i mplying t hat s uitable f lint n odules w ere s carce. Wymer ( 1968) r egarded t he w hole s mall

a ssemblage a s

' typical

M iddle A cheulian,

h andaxes.

1 2

w ith a m ajority

o f

1 1 •77 1 1 1 1 1• = 1 1 1 11 1

0 F igure 4 .

cm

L arge p ointed h andaxe o f f lint, t ype,

B erinsfield,

5

a pproaching t he f icron

D orchester ( ?Summertown-Radley T errace). 1 3

t m o

1 4 A cheulian

1 5 D orchester.

o vate h andaxe

B erinsfield,

•. Z . Z , I r s. : ' . . . . . , I : 7e 3C ,7 ,e

, . 4 . c .

4

4 ". 7 : ' •,: , . . *: . , - .. . " " e i tf • •;

re • ,: • , ,:p . , i ‚ ; 7 . " . : . , 7,: , .z e , . ) .. " :i n j j : . ; ; . .. . . , .' •.

, -

• • •

• . : • -r

••

• 'Ä Y ' . .4 • •• • • • j. . " . . ., / . ' ' . ' ' ',5 . 7 3 ' .' IN . . . 4> z: ; : : .- •r e . . • • •

'_... ‘

.4

„ . „ • te e . i e ,, . " . , . i. , i i . z . : . . --, , f . _ . . . „ . . . . .— ,

, ." 4 . . . .

4 3 ,

s' ,-,

• • • . • ••

. • . s ,

'y

•

• 'K ." • it „ . , . }

e . ,

, .3, -. "-4 ,

E l tee •• ,•

, . ' : .

't

-

V

' . .

, '. , \ . I Cl k ,t . '• •\ • . e • . . * , • • . .1&" '% • ; .. " • . e , . 1 .1 i •v • T r . "' e s i-,•• 4 " , , , , •.. 6)7 • "'-i f, . . "• 4 $1s ' t • ' • ' . " "ee 'r Zer : ' . . • • •

1 6

C onventional A cheulian h andaxe f ashioned

L U

E C ) t n

0

1 7

2 .2.3

B erinsfield

E xtensive g ravel w orkings i n t he a rea a round B erinsfield, n ear D orchester ( Fig. 3 ) b etween 1 974 a nd 1 982 p roduced a p rolific c ollect ion o f h andaxes a nd o ther i mplements, d escribed b y M acRae ( 1982). T he f inds a re d erived f rom t wo p its: o ne, a t Q ueensford, i s l ocated w holly i n g ravels w hich a ppear t o r elate t o t he F loodplain T errace s equence; a

t he o ther,

s lightly h igher

a t M ount F arm,

'gland

s eems

t o i nvolve g ravels

w hich m ay r epresent a d egraded

f orming

p atch

o f

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels. B ecause o f t his, a nd b ecause m any o f t he a rtefacts w ere r ecovered f rom t he c onveyor b elt a s i t r eached t he w ashing n lant, d oubts e xist a bout t he e xact p rovenance a nd o riginal s trat raphic r elationship o f s ome o f t he i mplements. S ome, h owever, w ere f ound e mbedded i n t he O xford C lay a t t he b ase o f t he g ravels, w hilst w any o f t he o thers c ould b e r elated, o n t he b asis o f t he m atrix a dhering t o t heir s urfaces, t o t he l ower l ayers o f t he g ravels.

T he i mplication i s

t hat,

i n b oth p its,

t he m ajority o f

t he

a rtefacts w ere p resent o n t he c lay f loor b efore t he g ravels w ere l aid d own; t hey m ay t hus r epresent p art o f a l ag d eposit o f g reater a ntiq uity t han t he o verlying g ravels. T he i mplements t ools a nd

f rom B erinsfield

a re i llustrated

i n F igs.

i nclude b oth f lint a nd q uartzite 4 -8.

I n t otal,

2 05 f lint a rte-

f acts h ave b een c ollected. T hese i nclude 2 1 p ointed h andaxes a nd 1 6 o vate h andaxes, a ll i n g ood c ondition a nd v arying i n l ength f rom 1 0 t o 2 1cm. T hames),

T here a re a lso 4 c leavers ( a t ype v ery r are i n t he U pper 2 h andaxes o f f icron t ype, 2 3 s mall b ifacial t ools a nd

n umerous f lakes, h andaxe t rimming-flakes a nd b roken i mplements. T hese l ast i nclude 1 4 b roken h andaxe b utts a nd 7 p oints, a nd i t i s a lso n otable t hat f rost c racking i s e vident i n m any o f t he a rtefacts, w hile t he s ize a nd q uality o f

t he i mplements v ary markedly.

T he b etter-made h andaxes h ave b een p roduced i ntact a nd l ithologically u niform f lint m odules,

f rom l arger, m ore w hereas t he c ruder

o vates a nd r ough b ifaces a re a ssociated w ith p oorer a nd s maller f lint f ragments. V isual e xamination o f t hese c ruder i mplements s hows t hat t hey w ere, n evertheless, p roduced b y r elatively s killed k napping t echniques, a nd t hey a ppear t o b e t ools q uickly t urned o ut f rom p oor f lint, r ather t han t he p roduct o f a n i nferior t echnology. t ion t here i s e vidence o f r esharpening o f s ome i mplements.

I n a ddiT hus, t he

a rtefacts p ossibly r epresent i nfrequent v isits b y s mall g roups o f h unters o ver a l ong p eriod o f t ime, t he q uality o f t heir t ools b eing c onstrained m ore b y t he s carcity o f g ood f lint t han b y t echnological i nadequacies. I ndeed, i t i s a pparent t hat n o l ocal s upply o f f resh, n odular f lint e xists i n t he i mmediate a rea, t he f lints w hich d o o ccur i n a nd

t he O xford v ale b eing g enerally d eeply w eathered, f rost-cracked s mall. I t i s p robably, t herefore, t hat t he f lint n odules f or t he

b etter-made t ools ( or t he t ools t hemselves) w ere i mported, p ossibly f rom t he C hilterns, w hereas _ t he p oorer i mplements w ere m anufactured ' on t he s pot' u sing w hatever m aterials w ere l ocally a vailable. T he p roblem o f f lint a vailability i s a lso i ndicated b y t he o ccurrence o f a n umber o f q uartzite t ools a t B erinsfield. I n a ll, 3 6 q uartzite a rtefacts h ave b een f ound ( about 1 4% o f t he t otal), m ainly c omprising o vate o r p ointed h andaxes ( Figs. 7 a nd 8 ). T hese h ave b een e xamined b y P eter J ones, o n

f laking o f n on-flint

w ho h as c onducted

t ools.

e xtensive e xperiments

H e c oncludes t hat 1 8

t he

q uartzites,

r ather b eing

t han

t he

r epresenting

a s et

o f

t ools

f or

a rtefacts o f a s mall h uman g roup

s pecific

t hat u sed

f unctions,

o r

o nly q uartzites,

w ere u sed w here a nd w hen s uitble f lint w as n ot a vailable" ( Jones, 1 979). T his r eflects t he c ircumstance t hat, w hile g ood f lint i s s carce

i n t he U pper T hames

b asin,

l arge,

s ound

q uartzite p ebbles -

d erived u ltimately f rom t he ' Bunter P ebble b eds' o f o ccur i n a bundance. D epsite

t he

v ariation i n m aterials,

t he

s ize a nd

M idlands

q uality

o f

-

t he

i mplements a t B erinsfield, a nd d espite t he i nterpretation o f o ccupat ion a s s poradic, a lmost a ll t he t ools d isplay a c onsistency o f d esign

a nd

c raftsmanship

w hich i mplies

t hat

t he

p eople

i nvolved

f ollowed t he s ame t raditions o f a rtefact f abrication. T he g reat m ajority o f t he t ools a re o f M iddle A cheulian t ype, w ith t he h andaxes f rom t he Q ueensford P it ( in t he F loodplain T errace) s howing a t ende ncy

t o b e o f m ore s ymmetrical

t hose

f rom M ount

e xceptions

t o

F arm.

f orm a nd m ore a dvanced

T here a re,

h owever,

t echnology t han

a n umber o f

t he M iddle A cheulian c ategory.

O ne f lint

s ignifi-cant h andaxe,

f rom

Q ueensford P it, d isplays d istinctive, b eing p lano-convex, i ntricately f laked

f ine, L ate A cheulian w ork-ing, a nd r elatively s harp ( Fig. 5 ).

A s

t he m aterials

s uch,

i t

i s

s trongly r eminiscent

o f

f rom t he W olver-

c ote C hannel s ite. I n a ddition, n ine a rtefacts - s even f lakes a nd t wo c ores ( also f rom Q ueensford P it) - s how a m arked L evalloisian i nfluence. T he o ccurrence o f s poradic L evalloisian t echniques w ithin t he M iddle A cheulian i s w ell k nown ( Roe 1 981), b ut t he d istinctiven ess

o f

t hese i mplements

i n t his c ontext may i ndicate a s eparate a nd

much l ater L evalloisian i ndustry i n t he U pper T hames. B ecause o f t he u ncertainties a bout t he p rovenance o f s ome o f t he m aterials, i nterp retations c annot b e d efinitive, b ut t he i mplication i s t hat t he F loodplain T errace g ravels a t B erinsfield y ield p alaeo-liths o f l ater a nd

m ore

a dvanced

t echnology t han d o e ither

t he

S ummertown-Radley

T errace g ravels o r t he W olvercote C hannel. 2 .2.4

S tanton Harcourt T he

a rea

a round

c entre f or g ravel

S tanton Harcourt

( Fig.

3 )

i s

e xtraction i n t he U pper T hames.

t oday

M ost

t he

o f

m ain

t he g ravel

w orkings a re c onfined t o t he S ummertown-Radley T errace, w ith t he r esult t hat i n r ecent y ears i t h as b een p ossible t o s earch a l arge a rea o f d eposits s urprisingly, y ears

o f

f rom

t he

t his

t errace.

n umber o f

s earching

D isappointingly,

i mplements d iscovered

h ave p roduced

a nd

i s

s omewhat

s mall:

o nly 1 4 a rtefacts

i n

n ine

f lint

a nd

q uartzite. T wo m embers a nd

a

B riggs

h andaxes o f

s mall

f lake d uring

f rost-cracked

w eathered.

o vate

a nd

s even

f rom S tanton

t he

m ore

t otal

f inds

i n 1 981

R .J.

i mplements h ave b een d iscovered,

o n t he n orth-western m argins

o f

t he g ravel

b y

r ecovered

s hape

a nd f lake

r ecently. a ll

s pread

o vate

o rganised

a 7 .5cm l ong

t he p its u ntil

b efore

a b roken

M acRae

c ordiform i n

f lake a nd

f rom

H arcourt

f ound

F ield E xcursion

_ handaxe,

T ogether w ith a h inged

t hese c omprised t hen,

t he Q .R.A.

a nd G ilbertson i n 1 979,

s mall,

P it,

o nly w ere r ecorded

t he Q uaternary R esearch A ssociation

a

m uch t ool, S ince

f rom S mith's ( SU

4 12056),

d uring 1 984. A ll w ere c ontained i n a n a rea o f l ess t han 5 0m x 5 0m o n t he p it f loor, r esting o n g ravel s ome 2 0-50cm a bove t he O xford C lay s urface.

A r olled

b ifacial

s hire A rchaeological U nit,

t ool w as

f ound

b y a m ember o f

a nd M acRae r ecovered 1 9

t he O xford-

f our q uartzite

h and-

S tanton Harcourt.

L c )

4 . )

2 0 f rom S mith's

4 •J

( r ) 4 ) C . 7 5 0

C I )

a )

L i ) 4 4 J —

c e L 4 4 c j

2 1

S tanton Harcourt.

c j

a xes, f lint

t he

b utt

o f

a v ery

l arge

f lint h andaxe,

a nd

a s mall

r olled

b iface. T he

f our

q uartzite h andaxes

f rustratingly a re d erived

a re o f

p articular

i nterest,

f rom a s tratigraphically a mbiguous

b ut

p osition

c lose t o t he b ase o f t he g ravels a t t he v ery l ine o f t he j unction b etween t he S ummertown-Radley a nd F loodplain T errace g ravels. W hich o f t he t wo d eposits t hey r elate t o i s t herefore u ncertain, b ut t he l ocal o ccurrence o f p ieces o f w oody p eat s uggest t hat t hey a re a ssoc iated w ith t he F loodplain T errace g ravels ( peat t he o lder S ummertown-Radley T errace d eposits). c oncentration

o f

t he

i mplements

i n t his

i s

a lmost u nknown i n N evertheless, t he

l ocality s eems

t o

b e

m ore

t han c hance, a nd i t s eems p robably t hat t hey o ccur h ere d ue t o t he e ffects o f m ass m ovement w hich, d uring a ggradation o f t he F loodplain T errace

g ravels,

c arried material

S ummertown-Radley

T errace

a nd

f rom t he

s urface o f

c oncentrated

i t

a t

t he

a djacent

t he e dge

o f

t he

f loodplain. T wo o f 1 0 ,

a nd

t hese q uartzite

a ll

h andaxes

a re i llustrated

f our merit d escription.

I n t he

i n F igs.

f irst p lace

9

a nd

t hey a re t he

o nly q uartzite t ools r ecorded b etween W olvercote a nd t he s ource o f t he T hames. F lint i s e xtremely r are i n S mith's p it, b ut f lat B unter p ebbles

a re c ommon,

a nd

s tones w hich n eeded T he

t wo

o f

t he f our i mplements a re f ashioned

f rom

o nly e dge-trimming.

f inely-worked

o vate

i n

q uartzite h as

a n

' S

t wist

i n

p rofile, a p eculiarity e ncountered i n a ssemblages o f h andaxes f rom many p arts o f B ritain. T he f unction o f t he t wisted e dge i s u nknown. M easuring

1 0cm

r olled. q uartzite T he l ar T his

x

7 .5cm x 3 .5cm,

t he i mplement

q uartzite h andaxe o f

p oint

o n a f lat b utt,

m easures

o nly

1 2cm

f latter

x 9 cm x 2 .5cm.

A t hird

s lightly

o n a f lat

e dge o pposing a t hick b utt, a lmost

s traight,

a n u nusual

u nrolled

b utt

f eature

o f

b roken i n a ntiquity,

h andaxe

f aces.

l ittle m ore t han a r oughly-made p oint

f ourth p resents o ne

t he

a t riangu-

b oth

s lightly

i s

t he

o f

i n

o f

s maller d imensions a nd

s ection c onsists

f ormed b y p ebble c ortex o n

p ebble;

H ow

i s

I t i s c ertainly t he b est e xample o f r efined w orkmanship f rom t he O xford r egion , n ot e xcluding B erinsfield.

b ifacially-trimmed

i n s uch

s tone

a n e xtremely l arge

e nded

u p i n t he

t ools.

a nd

s ame p it,

h eavy

f lint

h andaxe,

n ot

f rom t hat

t hese q uartzite i mplements, m ay r emain a m ystery o f t he s o o ften f aces p rehistorians. F lint n odules o f t he s ize

f ar k ind f rom

w hich t his h andaxe w as m ade s imply d o n ot o ccur a nywhere i n t his e xtensive g ravel s pread, a nd t he q uestion o f t he o rigin o f t he f lint f rom

w hich

1 982,

U pper T hames

r e B erinsfield).

s hire's 2 .2.5

p alaoliths

i s

i mplements w ere m ade a gain A s tudy o f

t his

a rises a spect

( MacRae

o f O xford-

o verdue.

O ther s ites I n

s parser

a ddition

t o

P alaeolithic

t he

s ites m entioned

s ites

o ccur

i n

o f

r ecorded

a ny d efinable f rom O xford

s tratigraphic

a bove,

a n umber

t he U pper T hames

T able 1 ). M ost o f t hese h ave y ielded f ound i n many c ases b y c asual o bservers, o ut

i mportant

o ther, 3

a nd

o nly o ne o r t wo a rtefacts, a nd o ften d iscovered t otally

c ontext.

r epresent a s catter o f 2 2

o f

( Fig.

T hus, f inds

t he

1 9 h andaxes

f rom m any d ifferent

l ocations a xe

w ithin

t he c ity.

f rom D rayton,

S imilarly,

i llustrated

i n F ig.

t he r olled M id-Acheulian h and1 1,

r epresents o ne o f

h andaxes f rom t his s ite. O ne p articularly P alaeolithic s equence i n t he U pper T hames, t his

a rea i n 1 972,

f ound

i n a s mall

i mportant h owever,

w hen a f ine u npatinated

s tream n ear A bingdon.

b out-coupg

t o

t he F loodplain T errace o r c ontaining m aterial

( Tyldesley 1 983). A s econd, a nd t urned u p a t R adley d uring g ravel b eing

a t

b elong

t he b ase o f

t he g ravel

v ery s imilar, e xtraction.

f our

h andaxe

T he i mplement w as

f rom a lluvium o f L ate D evensian o r F landrian a ge,

o nly

a ddition t o t he d id c ome f rom w as

r ecovered

p resumably r elating d erived

t herefrom

b out-coupg h andaxe T his w as r eported a s

o n t he g rey O xford C lay;

t he g ravels

t o t he F loodplain T errace.

T hese

t wo

h andaxes,

p lus

a s ingle M ousterian d isc-core

f rom t he

R adley a rea, a re t he o nly e vidence o f M iddle P alaeolithic i n U pper T hames v alley. S uch t ools c an b e a ttributed d irectly t o M ousterian o f A cheulian t radition m ilder p eriods o f t he D evensian. c oupg a xes known i n B ritain; a re s ometimes d escribed a s s pecimen m easures e legantly f laked. T he t ype date

( Roe 1 981) a nd c an b e a ssigned t o T here a re o nly 1 00 o f t hese b out-

t hey a re q uite d istinctive i n t ype, a nd ' flat b utted c ordates'. T he A bingdon

1 1.7cm x 8 .6cm x 2 .8cm,

t wo b out-coupgs,

t he t he

t herefore,

i s p lano-convex,

a re a lmost

a nd v ery

c ertainly o f

t o b e manufactured i n t he U pper T hames v alley, a nd t he W olvercote C hannel h andaxes. T he a ssumption

t he l ast

l ong t hat

p osth uman

a ctivity c ontinued i nto c old s tages d uring F loodplain a ggradation s eems t o b e s upported b y t hese t wo f inds, a lthough f or m ost o f t his p eriod B ritain m ay h ave e arly D evensian h unters f ollowing 2 .3

' offered

t oo h ostile a n e nvironment

a fter t he

f or a nything b ut o ccasional a nd f leeting v isits t he s ummer m igrations o f g ame h erds ( Roe 1 981).

b y

S UMMARY

T he a rchaeological e vidence f rom t he U pper T hames b asin r emains p artial a nd u neven. A s y et, t herefore, f irm c onclusions c annot b e r eached d uring a bout

a bout

t he d istribution o r

i ntensity o f o ccupation o f

t he a rea

t he P alaeolithic; t he d istribution o f f inds m ay r eveal m ore t he l ocation o f g ravel w orkings a nd t he f ocus o f a ttention o f

a rchaeologists h istoric g ravel

o ver t he

p eople.

A t

e xcavations h as

l ast 1 00 y ears t hose

t han t he a ctivities

o f

s ites w here r egular m onitoring

o ccurred,

h owever,

t he

f inds

I t

i s

b e o f

d ifficult

t o

i dentify

a ny

c lear

v isits

t echnological

t hough t his

i s

n ot

t o

e xpected w ith s uch a d iversity o f s ites a nd f ind-spots. T he i dea r elative d ating o n t he b asis o f t echnological c rudity o r p erfec-

t ion

o f

W hile, i ng

a lso

w ithin t he a rchaeological m aterials,

t he

i ndicate o ccupa-

t ion o f t he a rea n ot o n a ny c ontinuous b asis b ut a s s poradic b y g roups o f h unter-gatherers w ith l ong i ntervals b etween.

s equence

p re-

o f

s urface

h owever,

b roadly

f inds h as

l ong

b een

a bandoned

t he o lder c riteria a re n o

t o d ate

s uch

f inds o r g roups

b y

l onger v alid, o f

p rehistorians. i n e ndeavour-

f inds, m odern t ypology i s

b ased u pon a g reatly i mproved f low o f i nformation a nd c ommunication b etween p rehistorians a ll o ver t he w orld. T ypology m ay n ot b e a n e xact

s cience,

r ecognise a nd r elate t hem t o

t herefore,

b ut

i t d oes m ake

i t

p ossible

t o

d efine,

c lassify d ifferent v arieties o f i mplements, a nd t o t he e nvironments a nd t he p robable p eriods i ndicated 2 3

2 4 r olled

a nd

b y g eological o f ' cultures i rrelevant.

s tudies o f t heir c ontextual m aterials. I dentification i n t he U pper T hames v alley i s i mpossible a s w ell a s I dentification o f

' industries' i s m uch m ore

a chieved. O n t his b asis, a s r esearch h as o nce m ore c ome i nto I n i mply, s tone

B ordes f avour.'

t he U pper T hames v alley, v ariations a vailable a s

a s

( 1968)

s ays,

t he a rtefacts

i n r efinement o we a s m uch t o t o t he i nherant t echnological

l ikely

t o b e

' Typological

f rom

B erinsfield

t he q uality o f t he s kill o f t he maker.

M ost o f t he i mplements, h owever, c an b e p laced w ith r easonable c ert ainty i nto i ndustries c ontained w ithin t he ' basic s equence' w hich R oe

( 1981)

i dentified

a s

f ollows:

O ldest

E arly A cheulian/Clactonian M iddle A cheulian L ate A cheulian/Micoquian L evalloisian

Y oungest s panning

i n

t he M iddle a nd U pper Q uaternary.

E arly A cheulian a nd C lactonian m aterials h ave n ot b een c onfirmed t he U pper T hames, a lthough t he c ore-and-flake t radition o f t he

C lactonian i s a bundantly r epresented a t H enley-on-Thames d ownstream o f t he G oring G ap. M iddle A cheulian i ndustries, c onversely, a re w idely f ound, c ote C hannel, r ace.

w ith i mplements r ecorded f rom t he s ites o f t he W olvert he S ummertown-Radley T errace a nd t he F loodplain T er-

W hether t his

t raditions

i mplies

t hroughout

t he

u ncertain; e qually l ikely i t l east i n t he y oungest d eposits a re

d erived

o ther h and,

f rom o lder

n el

i s

o f

s eems ( i.e.

i n

f rom i t

o f

a ctive M iddle

a ggradation o f

A cheulian

t hese d eposits

L ate A cheulian i mplements, a nd

e vidence,

t han t he F loodplain p eriod

o f

o n t he

t he F lood-

C hronologically t his r aises p roblems

b y a l ong

i s

t hat s ome o f t he a rtefacts, a t t he F loodplain T errace g ravels),

t he W olvercote C hannel

t he m orpho-stratigraphic

c onsiderably o lder

s eparated

o f

s ources.

a re c oncentrated

p lain T errace d eposits. t he b asis

s urvival

t he p eriod

f or,

o n

t he W olvercote C hanT errace

a ggradation a nd

g ravel,

e rosion.

a nd P os-

s ible s olutions t o t his p aradox w ill b e c onsidered i n C hapter 6 , b ut i t e mphasises t he n eed f or a r e-examination o f t he W olvercote C hannel d eposits. L evalloisian

i nfluences

a ppear m ainly

i n t he m aterials

d erived

f rom t he F loodplain T errace g ravels, a nd t hese s eem t o m ark t he l ast L ower P alaeolithic o ccupation o f t he a rea. T he M iddle P alaeolithic, h owever,

i s

h andaxes

f rom

t hat,

r epresented

t here i s

b y

t wo

f ine

A cheulo-Mousterian

b out-coupe

t he F loodplain T errace d eposits n ear A bingdon. l ittle e vidence

f or h uman o ccupation u ntil w ell

A fter i nto

F landrian t imes. W hen t he A cheulian, t he L evalloisian a nd M ousterian t ool-makers f inally d eparted t here w as a l ong b reak i n t he c ontinuity

o f

t races

t he

o f

l owermost,

k nown o ccupation, p resence o f

t herefore, U pper

s uccessors

w ith o nly

P aleolithic

F loodplain T errace g ravels m ust

i n a l argely u ninhabited N eolithic

a ny

t he

i ndustry.

h ave l ong b een

t he a rea.

2 5

T he

i n p osition

l andscape b efore M esolithic p eople a nd

o ccupied

b arest

t heir

C hapter 3 .

T HE F LOODPLAIN T ERRACE

( with a c ontribution b y K .

3 .1

C rabtree)

I NTRODUCTION T he

F loodplain

r iver d eposits s erved

a nd,

o f

T errace

g ravels

t he U pper T hames.

i n

r ecent d ecades,

a re

t he

y oungest

T hey a re a lso

h ave

b een

P leistocene

t he m ost w ell

e xtensively

p re-

w orked

f or

g ravel. A s a lready i ndicated, t hey h ave b een f ar f rom p rolific i n t erms o f P alaeolithic i mplements, b ut a t otal o f 3 0 o r s o h andaxes a re b elieved t o h ave b een c ollected f rom t he d eposits a nd t he u nderl ying b edrock s urface. M any o f t hese i mply A cheulian o ccupation o f t he a rea a t I f

s ome

s ettlement

s parse a nd

t ime p rior o ccurred

t o

t he main p hase o f

d uring

s hort-lived.

a ggradation i t

t errace a ggradation. s eems

t o

T he q uestion t herefore a rises:

h ave

b een

w hat

w ere

t he e nvironmental c onditions a ssociated w ith a bandonment o f t he a rea a nd w hat i nhibited r e-occupation o f t he U pper T hames i n t hese P alaeol ithic 3 .2

t imes?

T ERRACE M ORPHOLOGY A ND C OMPOSITION

3 .2.1

D istribution T he

a nd

i n F ig. o f

d istribution o f

t he l ong

p rofile o f

1 3.

t he F loodplain T errace i s

t he m ain t errace g ravel

I n g eneral,

t he

l ong

p rofile o f

t he m odern a lluvium,

s o

t hat

t hroughout m ost

v alley t he T he a reas

t errace

g ravels

o f

s urface

f rom t he h igher

a nd

a b edrock b luff o f 6 -10m S urvey o f B ritain h as

s uggested

p lain T errace, T hese

i n h eight.

f lats

t he t errace

a bove

o f

f ollows

t hat

t he U pper T hames

t he p resent

a re a lso

1 2

i ndicated

f loodplain.

s eparated

i n

m any b y

F ield m apping b y t he G eological

t he B ritish G eological S urvey),

t wo d istinct

t he l ower b eing

t errace

i s

o lder S ummertown-Radley T errace d eposits

( nowadays

t hat

g eological m aps r eaches o f t he s urface

s tands 2 -3m

t he F loodplain T errace

s hown i n F ig.

s preads

h owever,

s urface l evels o ccur i n t he

c lose

t o

t hat o f

t he p resent

w ere d esignated T errace l a a nd

l b

F lood-

a lluvium. o n

r ecent

( e.g. R obson 1 976, H arries 1 977). I n t he u pper T hames a nd i n t he t ributary v alleys, t he t errace

a lso v aries

l aterally,

t he g ravels

r ising u p o nto

t he

f lanks

o f t he valley a nd, i n p laces, g rading i nto o lder d eposits. A s a r esult, s ome d ifficulties a re e ncountered i n c orrelating t he v arious t errace

f lats,

r adiocarbon p ast, ( e.g.

a nd

d ating

e rroneously S andford S imilar

i n t he t o

b een

1 965,

a rea a round L echlade g ravels n ow s hown

r elate

t o

t he F loodplain T errace h ave,

a ssigned

t o

t he

S ummertown-Radley

i n

b y t he

T errace

R obson 1 976).

v ariations

o ccur

i n

t he b edrock

s urface

b eneath

t he

t errace g ravels, r esulting i n marked d ifferences i n t heir t hickness. W hilst t he a verage d epth o f t he d eposits i s c .4-5m, l ocally d epths o f 9 m

o r

m ore

S tandlake;

a re e ncountered

F igs.

1 2 a nd

1 3).

( e.g.

a t

S utton

T hese v ariations 2 6

C ourtenay l ed

a nd

S andford

n ear ( 1924)

2 7

s ample l ocations.

L L n o g t , c i

a mmindm

.-

F loodp la in T e rrace

m m

f i C 3

L n

UIIIIIIIIIiIIIII

r .

. 1

4 --

CU M

1 1 : 1

= 1I LD

I C

4 — i n > •

LU

) ( h l f d L k d t D i a m c e o t n s r e a m r e o w m a c s n

r1 2 13 = I

i 22 1 4 1 1

C D I t

I t ill

l iii

C u

E CU = 1

= 1 11

t o

= i

m u m» C E 1 20 C II I I

= 1 : 11 1 ) = 11 1 : 13

I

CV O

0 : 11 1331mm at=

L n

z 3

0 N

c o (0 ' 0 ( L I )

ap nl il i v

0

L n

0

e t

t o

p ostulate

g ravels. c hannel

t he

e xistence o f

C astleden i s

n o m ore

( 1977)

t han

a b uried

h as

c hannel

s ubsequently

t he c entre o f

b eneath t he

a rgued

a w ide,

t hat

t errace

t he

s upposed

p eriglacially

t rimmed

v alley f loor, b ut R obson ( 1976) a nd Harries ( 1977) s howed t hat a brupt v ariations i n t he s ub-drift l and s urface d o o ccur, i mplying t he p resence o f a r elatively c omplex e roded 3 .2.2

C omposition a nd

b edrock t opography.

s edimentary s tructures

T hroughout t he U pper T hames, t he d eposits o f t he T errace a re c omposed a lmost e ntirely o f l ocal m aterials. f rom

t he J urassic O olites

i ronstones,

m udstones

c omprises

a bout 9 0% o f

a nd m arlstones

t he

F loodplain L imestone

g ravel,

f rom s imilarly

l ocal

w hile s ources

make u p m ost o f t he r emainder. S mall q uantities o f m ore f ar-travell ed r ocks a lso o ccur, i ncluding f lint f rom b oth t he B erkshire D owns a nd f rom t he C halky B oulder C lay o f t he V ale o f M oreton ( Bishop 1 958) a nd c hert, e ither f rom t he C retaceous G reensand o r f rom T ertiary d eposits. I n a ddition, m inor p roportions o f q uartz, q uartzite, i gneous a nd m etamorphic r ocks a re f ound i n t he t errace s ediments. A round O xford, t hese a re p resumably d erived m ainly f rom t he o lder P lateau D rift w hich c aps m uch o f t he h igher l and ( Sandford 1 924), b ut i n t he u pper p arts

o f

t he c atchment

t his

s ource

i s

u nlikely.

D epo-

s its r elatively r ich i n t hese e rratics d o o ccur i n s everal a reas f or e xample a t G rove a nd i n t he A von-Thames w atershed a round Malmesb ury ( Briggs

1 973)

T he u ltimate

s ources

F or d eposits, t he

- a nd o f

t hese

s eem

t he m ost

l ikely i mmediate

s ource.

t hese m aterials r emain u ncertain.

t he m ost p art, t he t errace g ravels o ccur a s p lane-bedded o nly l ocally s howing c lear e vidence o f c ross-bedding. I n

u pper

r eaches

o f

t he v alley,

h owever,

c rudely-bedded

o r

c om-

p letely u nstratified d eposits a re e xposed. F rom A shton K eynes t o L echlade ( Fig. 1 2) t hese o ften f orm a t hick b asal u nit t o t he t err ace,

b ut

t hey a lso

i ll-sorted, s ides,

r ubbly

a pparently

s eem

t o r eplace l aterally t he b edded g ravels,

m aterial

i s

r epresenting

s een t o

e xtend

t he a ction o f

u p

o nto

t he

s olifluction

a nd

v alley

f rom

t he

s lopes. T he mainly a nd

g ravels i n t he

b eds

l ayers

t he g ravels.

e xtensive,

a s

p roportion o f

i nterstitial m aterial b ut

(

16mm f ractions

o f

e xists f latness

l imestone

s elected s amples i ndicate c onsistent d ifferences b etween s ize g rades. R oundness i ncreases s ignificantly a s s ize

d ecreases, p ossibly r eflecting t he m ore a ctive t ransportation a nd a brasion o f t he f iner m aterials, w hile f latness d ecreases w ith d ecreasing s ize. S phericity s hows n o c hange. T he v ariations i n f latness p robably r elate t o t he t endency o f t he c oarse, p laty p art icles t o l ose t heir c orners a nd p rotrusions a s t hey a re a braded, t hus b ecoming

b oth

s maller

a nd m ore

e qui-dimensional.

3 9

3 .4.3

F luvial m orphology a nd h ydrology T he v ariations i n t errace m orphology a nd h igher a nd l ower r eaches o f t he U pper

t he

s edimentology b etween T hames i ndicate t hat

f luvial c onditions w ere n ot u niform t hroughout t he c atchment. M oreo ver, t he v ertical c hanges i n t he t errace s ediments s eem t o r eflect m arked c hanges i n f luvial p rocesses o ver t ime. I n o rder t o e xamine t hese

c onditions

m ark

s ites

i n

a nd

p rocesses

t he v alley:

v alley, a nd N orthmoor, ( Fig. 1 2). I .

i t

i s

u seful

L echlade,

w hich

t ypifies

t o

c onsider

i n t he u pper

c onditions

t wo

' bench-

r eaches o f

i n t he

l ower

t he

r eaches

L echlade T he

f ollowing

s ections

a t P oole's

s equence

i n t he F loodplain T errace:

0 .7m S oil

a nd

2 .0m S ilt,

p it

( SP 2 15013)

n ear L echlade

s how

t he

h ead m arl

a nd

p eat;

i nterbedded;

M ollusca a nd i nsects; i nfills b road l ying g ravel ( unit 1 ). 1 .2m G ravel w ith c ross-bedded

i nterstitial l ayers a nd

r ich

i n

c hannels c ut

n on-marine i nto

u nder-

s and; p lane-bedded o r l ow-angle l enses o f s and a nd o pen-fabric

g ravel; s trongly i mbricated (kr -e -100 ° ) ; c ontains p eat, s and a nd g ravel f illed c hannels, u p t o l m d eep, l O o n b road ( unit 2) . 2 .0m S andy g ravel;

u nsorted;

p oorly

b edded;

w eakly

i mbricated

(Ä 1 00 ° ) w ith h igh d ip a ngles ( ; V 50 ° ) ; s mall, ' discont inuous l enses o f o pen f abric g ravel, s howing f ining-upward c ycles T he

( unit 3 ).

l owest

d eposits

i n

t his

s equence a ppear t o h ave

b een

l aid

d own e n-masse e ither b y s olifluction o r, m ore l ikely i n v iew o f t he c haracter o f t he f abric a nd t he l ocal t opography, b y s ediment-choked s treams d ebris

w hich w ere u nable e ntering

f acies

i s

a p roduct

c ryoturbation i s

h orizontal

l ayers

d isturbed

t ransport

o r

T hat

t he e xcessive

t he l ack o f

o f o riginal d epositional

s ubsequent a ny

t o

t he s ystem.

a nd

s hown b y

o f t his

p rocesses

t han

r ather

t he p reservation o f u ndisturbed,

l enses o f g raded,

v estigial

q uantities

s tratification o f

b edded g ravel

a nd

b edding w ithin t he b ulk o f

t he

t he

l ack o f g ravels.

T he o pen-fabric g ravels a ppear t o r epresent l ocalised o ccurrences o f f luvial s orting a nd t ransport, d ue e ither t o t he d evelopment o f s mall c hannels s tream

o n

t he g ravel

t emporary

p eriods

t ransport, t ion o f

a nd

a ny s ize d evelop.

i mproved

i ncreased

O nly

h igher

t he a nd

o f

s ediment p roduction.

o f

T he u pper g ravels i ndicate a c hange i n c onditions w ith e volution o f a m ore a ctive f luvial s ystem, i ncreased e ntrainment

c hannels

r educed

t o

i t

d id

a nd/or

s urface o r

r arely,

s eems,

f low

s ediment

s orting.

W hether

s tream d ischarge o r r educed

t his w as

s ediment

a f unc-

s upply i s

n ot

c lear, b ut t he m arked p article i mbrication i ndicates t he e xistence o f a n e asterly f lowing s tream ( Fig. 1 7). T he p lane-bedding a nd l owa ngle c ross-bedding w hich c haracterise t his m ember o f t he s equence i mplies t hat t his s tream w as b raided, w ith s hallow b ars a nd movement o f s ediment 1 972a). T he r epresent

i n s hallow s heets d uring p eriods o f f loord ( cf. R ust s hallow c hannels p reserved w ithin t his d eposit p robably

b ar-top

a nabranches,

a bandoned 40

d uring

p eriods o f

a vulsion

Ä =1 02° p= 3 4 .4 0

Ä =7 5 ° p= 14 .2° V= 28 -4%

V =6 8 7%

2 . NORTH MOOR

1 . L ECHLADE :BASAL GRAVELS

B ASAL GRAVELS

( UN IT 1 )

Ä =3 5 1° p =9 .8 ° V= 18 .8%

Ä=2 6° 4=8 .7 ° V =1 6 .8%

4 . NORTH MOOR :BASAL GRAVELS

3 NORTH MOOR BASAL GRAVELS

( UN IT 1 )

( UN IT 1 )

= 1 17° p =2 1 -7°

=338 ° =27 .4 °

V =4 3 -4 %

V =5 4 .8%

6 . NORTH MOOR

5 NORTH MOOR : BAR F RONT GRAVELS

F igure 1 7.

UPPER GRAVELS

( UN IT 4 )

( UN IT 3 )

P article i mbrication a nd

f oreset o rientation i n t he

F loodplain T errace g ravels.

4 1

a nd s ubsequently p artially i nfilled b y s till-water s ediments b efore b eing i nundated o nce m ore b y f lood d ebris. T he s ilts a nd m arls w hich o verlie t he g ravels, a nd w hich f ill b road c hannels c ut i nto t he l ower u nit, a ppear t o r elate t o a m ore s table p hysical e nvironment, w ith l ow-energy s tream f low a nd s olution a nd p recipitation o f c alcium c arbonate. A s t he 1 4C r esults s how , t hese m aterials a ccumulated d uring F landrian t imes i n w armer a nd m ore o rganically a ctive c ondit ions. T he l ack o f g ravel a ggradation s uggests t hat t he s tream s ystem h ad, b y t hen, s witched f rom a b raided t o am eandering f orm. N orthmoor

t he

T he s equence a t N orthmoor, w hich i s c haracteristic o f m ost o f l ower r eaches o f t he F loodplain T errace g ravels i n t he U pper

T hames, i s d ominated b y b etter-sorted a nd b etter-bedded d eposits. O ne s ection i n B rown's p it a t N orthmoor s hows f our m ain u nits, l abell ed ' basal g ravels', ' bar g ravels', ' channel g ravels a nd ' top g ravels' ( Plate 2 ). T he t wo l atter u nits a re s eparated b y a c ryoturb ation s ilt a nd

l ayer w hich e xtends s and

t hroughout

t he

p it.

S everal

l ocalised

l enses a re a lso v isible w ithin t he b asal g ravels.

T his w hole s equence a ppears t o r elate t o a ggradation i n a b raided s tream s ystem , f or t he p redominance o f p lane-bedding o r l owa ngle c ross-bedding, t he f requent p reservation o f s mall c hannel f ills, t he l ack o f e xtensive l ateral a ccretion d eposits a nd t he g eneral c oarseness a nd u ncohesiveness o f t he d eposits a re a ll c onsist ent w ith d escriptions o f b raiding ( e.g. A llen 1 970 ; R ust 1 972a; E ynon a nd W alker 1 974). F urther e vidence o f a b raided r iver s ystem i s s upplied b y t he o ccasional o ccurrence w ithin t he c ross-bedded u nits o f c oarsening u pward c ycles f or t hese h ave b een a ttributed t o d eposition 1 972).

i n b raided

T hrough d etailed

s tream b ar-top c hannels ( Costello

a nd

s edimentological . a nalyses a t N orthmoor,

W alker

a nd

a nalogies w ith m odern b raided r ivers ( Doeglas 1 962; K rigstrom F ahnestock 1 963; W illiams a nd R ust 1 969; S mith 1 970 ;

b y

1 962; 1 974;

B oothroyd 1 972; N ordseth 1 973; R ust 1 972a;b) a nd t he r etrospective s tudies o f E ynon a nd W alker ( 1974), i t i s p ossible t o r econstruct t he d epositional e nvironment o f t hese d eposits i n s ome d etail. T he

b asal g ravels

( unit

I )

a ppear t o

r epresent

a p eriod

o f

b ar

f ormation, p robably b y g ravels m oving a s t hin s heets d uring p eriods o f h igh f low. S tudies o f p article f abric i ndicate a m oderate b ut v aried i mbrication, w ith v ector m eans f or t he i nferred f low r anging f rom c . 3 50 ° t o 1 00 ° ( Fig. 1 7). T he g enerally l ow d ips p robably r eflect r elatively h igh d ischarges. T he i mbrication i s i nitially e asterly, b ut c hanges u pwards t hrough t he b asal g ravels t o a d omin antly n orthward o rientation. A lthough i t i s t empting t o r elate t his c hange t o g eneral m igration o f t he T hames, i t i s a pparent t hat l ocal v ariations i n f abric a re, i n a ny c ase, t o b e e xpected i n b raided s treams ( e.g. R ust 1 972b; M iall 1 976). N evertheless, t he c onsist ency a nd t he s cale o f t his v ariation s upport t he c ontention t hat a g eneral

c hange i n c hannel o rientation o ccurred.

A t t imes, i t s eems, r avined b y s mall c hannels. f orm d uring t he p eriod o f

f luvial c onditions v aried a nd t he b ar w as I n m odern b raided s ystems t hese t end t o p eak f low ( Smith 1 974), a nd t hey a re t hen 4 2

i nfilled

b y p rogressively f iner m aterials

a s

t he

f low r ecedes.

t he b ars

e merge

o r

a re

a bandoned b y c hanges

i n c hannel

a bove t he w ater

c ourse u pstream,

t ion

o f

o rganic m aterials

w ater b asal

s uspension. g ravels.

s urface,

t he c hannels b ecome a nd

s ilts

W hilst

t hese m inor,

s urface,

i t

s eems

b etween t he b ars. t hat d uring p eriod e roded

f om

t he b ar

c onditions b ars

o f

a nd

p rocess

i s

u p

a s

m aterial

t ransported t hat

s till-

i n t he

T hese a ppear

t he

o f

w ind

a re s table, i n c oarse d ebris

s wept

s tage w as

p arallel

t o

a

( unit Ha) t he d eve-

i nfilled

t he b ar t hat

t he

S uch

i ndicate

a cross

U nder

a cross

s ets

s ubsequently

a pproximately n orthwards t his

g rowing

s ystem

c hannels. t o

t he t he

c oarsening-

E ynon a nd W alker 1 974).

c hannel w hich w as

f low a t

o f

t he

a t N orthmoor b y t he c ross-bedded

w ith d evelopment

I nterestingly

o f

g ravels may b e

l ow a ngle f oresets

a b ar-front

i s c lear

f or d eposif rom

c hannels d evelop o n t he

1 972a;

h owever,

t he b asal g ravels.

o f

I t

l oci

t he d evelopment

t he major a nabranches

( Rust

f low,

l opment

a ssociated

t o

e phemeral

t hat

s ide

e videnced

w hich o verlie

t he

l aid d own

T o a g reat e xtent t hese c hannels o f l ow f low t hey a re p rotected b y

h igh

b uild

c lays

R emnants o f s uch c hannels a re f ound t hroughout O n s ome o ccasions, h owever, r eactivation o f

c hannels d uring f low r esurgence l ed u pward s equences.

b ar

a nd

W hen

b y

s urface.

p reviously

t he b ar.

j unction b etween t he b ar

a nd

c hannel

i s marked

b y a t hin a nd a lmost c ontinuous s ilt d rape ( unit I Ib). T his p oses c ertain d ifficulties i n i nterpretation, f or w hilst d eposition o f t he s ilt c an r eadily b e e xplained a s a f unction o f s edimentation a t a f alling s tage, t he p reservation o f t his f ine-grained d rape i s t o s ome e xtent u nexpected. I t i s n otable, h owever, t hat i n m odern b raided s tream s ystems s ilt d rapes s uch a s t hese a re o ften p reserved a s a r esult o f c rusting d uring d ewatering o f p ools o r c hannels; i n t his s tate

t he

r esistant

s ilt t o

f orms a s table c apping d eposit

T he c ross-bedded e vidence

o f

f oresets

b oth v ertical

( unit

a nd

m aterials i n t he f oresets p ass t o c oarse material a t t he f oot; a valanching a ntidunes

a p eriod

o f

I II) w hich f ill

l ateral

i s

e xtremely

t he c hannel

s how

L aterally,

t he

g rading.

f rom f iner g ravel i n t he u pper p arts t his s eems t o r eflect d eposition b y

g ravel d own t he

- w hich w ere m oving

t he b ar v ertical

w hich

e rosion.

f oreset a s d unes - o r m ore

a cross

t he b ar

s urface,

p robably

s pilled

o ver

f ront. T he r epetitive f ining u pward s equences s hown i n s ection i ndicate t he p assage o f s uccessive a ntidunes d uring o f

h igh

f low.

W ith i nfilling o f

t he b ar

f ront

c hannel,

m aterial m oved

a cross

t he b ar s urface a s s heets o f g ravel, a nd p roduced p lane-bedded t ops ets. T hese, h owever, a re p oorly p reserved i n t his s ection f or s ubsequent u pper t his

c ryoturbation

l ayers

o f

t his

c ryoturbation

c asts, a nd t he p eriod

s eems

s equence. l ayer

( unit

b y

t ion l ayer

a nd d isrupted

E lsewhere i n t he I V)

i s

a ssociated

t errace w ith

t he

d eposits i ce-wedge

i t s eems l ogical t o a ttribute t he p eriglacial a ctivity t o o f t he m ain D evensian g laciation o f n orthern B ritain,

a pproximately 2 6,000-15,000 y ears p orted

t o h ave d isturbed

t he r adiocarbon d ates a t P oole's P it,

B .P..

T his

f rom a bove

N orth L echlade.

4 3

a nd

i nterpretation i s b elow t he

s up-

c ryoturba-

W hatever

t he

e xact d ate o f

t his

p eriod

o f

c ryoturbation,

i t

i s

a pparent t hat t he s urface i t c reated w as e roded b efore r enewed f luvial a ctivity l ed t o f urther a ggradation. T he n ature o f t he d epositional e nvironment a t t his s tage s eems t o h ave d iffered s omew hat

f rom

t hat

s how

m ore

e xtensive l ow-angle c ross-bedding

r elated

t o

a ssociated

t he

w ith t he

d evelopment

o f

l ower d eposits,

a m ore

f or

t he

( unit 5 ).

s table

g ravels

T his may

f luvial

s ystem

b e

w ith,

p erhaps, l ess marked f luctuations i n d ischarge a nd a t rend t owards a m eandering r ather t han b raided s tream. C ertainly e lFewhere i n t he t errace d eposits,

t hese u pper g ravels

a nd

c hannels

s ilt-filled

( e.g.

a re a ssociated w ith l arger p eat

a t H ardwick a nd R adley)

a nd

i t

i s

t empting t o s ee h ere a t ransition t o a s table m eandering s ystem. F urther r esearch i s n eeded t o c onfirm a nd d ate s uch a n e vent. T here i s r eason t o b elieve h owever t hat a f ully m eandering s ystem w as e stablished b y e arly F landrian t imes, g ravel a ccumulation a t L echlade s eems y ears b .p., i ii.

b y w hich

f or, a s n oted i n s ection 3 .3, t o h ave c eased b y a bout 9 500

t ime a s table c hannel h ad d eveloped.

G eneral c onsiderations

I t i s a lmost i mpossible t o a ssess w ith a ny d egree o f c ertainty t he q uantitative h ydrological i mplications o f t hese t errace d eposits. F ew

o pportunities

f or

m ost

o f

v ariety o f

e xist

t he c hannel

e stimate d ischarge o r

p alaeo-hydrological

o rder-of-magnitude l east a rea.

t o

i nfills

s tream

a re i ncomplete a nd

a pproaches,

B riggs

d imensions,

e roded.

( 1983)

e stimates o f d ischarge i ndicating

U sing a

m ade g eneral

p eak

f lows

a t

1 3 t imes g reater t han p resent d ay p eak d ischarge i n t he O xford H e a lso s uggested t hat t he f lood f lows s hould h ave b een i n t he

o rder o f 2 m d eep a nd u p t o 2 50m i n w idth - a ssessments s upported s ome e xtent b y t he e vidence o f t he b ar r emnants p reserved i n

t o t he

t errace g ravels. A

more g eneral

d uring

t he

c onsideration i s

M id-Late D evensian h ad

w ere t he c auses o f T he major d ifficulty a ccepted 1 963) a nd

S korgaard

t he

w hy

a b raided

t he

f orm

T hames

a nd

w hat

i ts e ventual a djustment t o a m eandering s ystem. i n s olving t his p roblem i s t he l ack o f g enerally

e xplanations

s tressed

t he q uestion o f

a dopted

o f

b raiding.

i mportance o f

( 1973)

r egarded

M achin

( quoted

a n e rodible

b raiding

a s

i n

F ahnestock

p erimeter.

E ngelund

a r esult

o f

c hannel

o ver-

w idening. F ahnestock ( 1963) h imself, h owever, c onsidered v ariations i n d ischarge a nd o verloading o f t he s tream w ith s ediment t o b e c ritic al f actors i n b raid d evelopment, w hile L eopold a nd W olman ( 1957) s uggested t hat t he r elationship b etween s lope a nd d ischarge c ontroll ed

t he

C hitale

b raided-meandering

s ystem ( an i nterpretation

s upported

b y

1 973).

T he n othing d eposits b raided v ariable

s edimentological t o

e vidence

i ndicate w hich o f

s atisfy a ll s ystem

i t

f rom

a

t hat

t he

t he F loodplain T errace

f actors w as

t he c onditions;

s eems

d ischarge,

t hese

d uring

s tream w as

h igh s ediment

i nput,

s ignificant, t he

e xistence

s ubject

t o a

d oes

f or

t he

o f

t he

s easonally

e rodible b anks

a nd

a

r elatively h igh d ischarge-slope r atio. S imilarly t he c hangeover t o a m eandering f orm d uring t he L ate D evensian o r e arly F landrian m ay h ave b een

a ssociated

r eduction

i n

w ith a s tabilisation o f

s easonal

d ischarge-slope

f luctuations

r atio.

T he

t he M id- a nd L ate-Devensian i s

i n

t he

f loodplain

d ischarge a nd,

e xistence o f b raided t herefore c onsistent 4 4

s urface,

h ence,

c onditions w ith

t he

a

a l ower d uring c limate

o f

t he p eriod

i nferred

f rom t he c ontinentatity o f

t he i nsect

f aunas

a nd f rom t he p eriglacial f eatures. S imilarly, t he d evelopment o f a m eandering s ystem, a t l east d uring t he e arly F landrian, i s t o b e e xpected w ith t he c hanging e nvironment. T he e xact c auses a nd m echan isms o f t his a djustment r equire f urther r esearch. 3 .5

P LANTS

3 .5.1

P revious s tudies P lant

r emains

a re w idely p reserved

i n

t he

t errace

d eposits,

t hough s urprisingly f ew s tudies h ave b een made o f t he b otanical m aterials. S andford ( 1965) r eported m acroscopic p lant r emains a nd p ollen f rom S tandlake,

w hich i ndicated a s parse v egetation d ominated

b y g rasses a nd s edges. N o i ndication o f a ge c ould b e d erived f rom t he m aterials, b ut t he v egetation w as c onsidered t o b e c haracteristic o f " Late-or F ull-glacial p eriods". A d eep p eat-filled

c hannel

a t T hrupp H ouse F arm,

n oted b y B riggs

( 1976b) a nd G ilbertson ( 1976) w as a nlysed b y A alto e t a l. ( 1984). T he c hannel d eposits w ere d ated b y r adiocarbon a ssay t o a pproximately 1 3,500

y ears

B .P.,

t hough s ome c ontamination o f

t he

material

i s

b elieved t o h ave o ccurred, m aking t he d ate a bout 5 00 y ears t oo o ld. T he d eposits i ncluded a v aried f lora i ndicating a l ocal e nvironment c omposed o f am osaic o f a quatic, m arsh a nd d ryland h abitats. T he o ccurrence o f t he a lpine m eadow p lant R anunculus p lantanifolius a nd t he b oreo-continental S agittaria n atans i mplied t hat a t

a c limate c ooler t han

p resent.

S everal o ther

s ites h ave b een s tudied

i n t he p ast b y t he p resent

a uthors. M acroscopic p lant r emains f rom S utton C ourtenay i n m aterial d ated b y r adiocarbon a nalysis t o 3 3,190 ± 3 450 y ears B .P. ( Table 2 ) w ere i dentified b y D r. A . C onnolly o f t he B otany d epartment a t L eicester U niversity. L eaves o f S alix h erbacea a nd ? Dryas w ere f ound, t ogether w ith f ruits o f Z annichellia c f. p edicellata, D raba s p., H ippuris, P otamegeta, R anunculus a nd ? Naias ( Briggs 1 973). P oll en f rom t he s ame s amples w ere a nlysed b y D r. K . C rabtree w ho n oted G ramineae, C yperaceae, P olypodium, E mpetrum, R umex, A rtemesia, F ilicales, B etula, P inus a nd P icea. G rains o f P icea w ere i ntensively a braded a nd p robably r epresent a d erived c omponent; o therwise t he s pecies i ndicate a r elatively c ool a nd o pen e nvironment. A s imilar i nterpretation w as p laced o n p ollen

o btained

f rom s ilts i n t he F loodplain T errace a t

B ourton-on-

t he-Water ( Brown e t a l. 1 980). A lthough r adiocarbon d ating w as n ot c arried o ut, t he d eposits w ere t entatively a ssigned t o t he M idD evensian o n g eomorphological g rounds a nd b y c orrelation w ith d ates f rom L ittle R issington, n earby. B rown e t a l. ( 1980 ) c oncluded t hat t he l ocal v egetation w as d ominated b y m arsh a nd a quatic s pecies w ith a r egional v egetation c haracterised b y p lants o f o pen, p robably a rctic-alpine h abitat. 3 .5.2

R ecent p alynological s tudies O ver

c overed

a nd

t he

l ast

t en y ears

p ollen f rom f our

( by K .

s everal

C rabtree)

f urther s ites h ave

s amples a t P oole's P it,

4 5

b een

d is-

N orth L echlade,

t hree s amples i nvestigated. I .

a t

S tandlake

( Plate 3 )

a nd

a s ingle

s ample

a t

R adley

P retreatment

T he o rganic-mineral t reated w ith h ydrochloric c austic w ith

p otash,

c old

g lacial F urther

t hen w ashed

h ydrofluoric

h ydrochloric

s ediment f rom t he t errace g ravels w as a cid, w ashed a nd d ispersed i n h ot d ilute

a cid

a nd

a nd

a cid

s ieved.

T he s ediment w as

f or 4 8 h ours

d istilled

a nd w ashed

w ater p rior

t o

i n

t reated

h ot

d ilute

a cetylation

w ith

a cetic a cid a nd a f ew d rops o f c oncentrated s ulphuric a cid. w ashing w as f ollowed b y m ounting i n g lycerine j elly s tained

w ith s afranin. i i.

N orth L echlade P ollen

w as

s parse

t o v ery

s parse

i n a ll

f our

s amples

f rom

t he

N orth L echlade s ite. T his i s n o d oubt d ue t o t he c alcareous n ature o f t he s ediments a nd c onsequent p oor p reservation. O nly t hree s amples g ave r easonable c ounts b ased p resented i n T able 4 . S ample N LI, f ace

o f

t he

B .P.

( Table

2 ).

p erate c limate, e lements a lso

f rom a s mall

t errace y ielded T he

o n 2 0455

p eat-filled

4 7% t ree a nd

i ncluding Q uercus,

U lmus,

A s

s uch

t he

s ample

c ut

R esults a re

i nto

s pecies

a nd

o f h erbs a part t o

c learance,

w hile t he A lnus v alues

t he b oreal-Atlantic

t ransition o f G odwin

i s

f orest c over o f o ak,

f or a d eciduous

i ndicate

f lex.

I t

f rom G raminae a nd

r epresent

( 1975).

t em-

t hermophilous

a

p ost-glacial

a ssemblage o f F landrian s tage I I ( Turner a nd W est 1 968). r ange o f h erbs a nd t he h igh U lmus v alues s uggest t hat i t f orest

s ury ears

i ndicates a g enerally

s hrub

s eems

t he

d ate o f 2 770 ± 1 00

F raxinus a nd A lnus p lus

s hows a r elatively p oor r ecord

C yperaceae.

c hannel

a r adiocarbon

p ollen a ssemblage

w ith c a.

t raverses.

t hat

T he l ow p re-dates

i t

p ost-dates

T he p ollen e vidence

e lm a nd

h azel,

w ith a lder,

g rass a nd s edge c ommunities p erhaps o ccupying t he w etter b ank a reas. T he h igh P inus v alues a re d ifficult t o r econcile w ith t he d eciduous t ree

p ollen v alues

r emember

t hat

t ransporters

o f

p olleniferous b roken b ut

f or

P eck

t his

a nd

o f

B ritain a t

o thers h ave

t he t ime.

s hown

t hat

p ollen f rom q uite l ong d istances.

d eposits.

s ome

p art

( 1973)

i s

S ome o f

c omplete

S ample N LII i s

a nd

f rom t he

i nto

t he u pper g ravels,

T he

a ssemblage i s

p opulation.

T ree

s ilts

a nd marls w hich

t o

s ample N LI

a re

r ework

c orroded

f ill

( Unit 2 ,

b y a r ange o f h erbaceous

g enerally v ery g ood a nd

T hey a lso

p ollen i s

m ust

a nd

r elatively f resh-looking.

a djacent

i s d ominated

P reservation

t he P inus

O ne r ivers

a nd

i t

a ppears

s hrub p ollen a ccount

c hannels

c ut

s ee p age 4 0). p ollen

t ypes.

t o b e

a

s ingle

f or o nly 1 1%

o f

t otal

p ollen a nd a part f rom t wo Q uercus g rains t hey a re e ntirely f rom p ioneer o r s hrub s pecies ( Pinus, B etula, S alix a nd J uniperus). R adioc arbon 2 ) a nd

d ating s hows t his s ample t o b e o f e arly F landrian a ge ( Table i t i s p ossible t hat t hese s pecies r eflect t he l ocal h abitat.

T hough

a bsent

L ate

D evensian

e stablished

b y

i n B ritain b etween i mmediately

e arly F landrian

b lage m ight a lso b e m ore p articularly C oope

a nd

P ennington

t he C helford

i nterstadial

f ollowing d eglaciation, t imes.

P inus

T he r emainder o f

t he

a nd

t he

w as

r e-

a ssem-

f ound i n a D evensian i nterstadial v egetation, t he L ate-Devensian ( Windermere) I nterstadial ( 1977).

T he r ange o f 4 6

h erbs,

o r o f

i ncluding a l arge

S tandlake

4 . ) 4 3

0 . ) 4 ) c o 0

4 3

0 .

c )

1 . 4 1 7 ) C / 3 0. o

u

5 .

C

r )

0

. r 4

c a

‘ . 4

r d 1 7 3 C

^Z

C O

0 r 4

c n

3 0

0 0

tr i C

1 t

3 0 )

0

.e 4 /1

C . 1 )

c i )

C

0 0

C f )

4 7

"1

0

C N / o

C . 1 3

r \ I

C

rn

. 2 10

T ABLt 4 .

P ollen f requencies f rom

SN 'CI2 ›3

t he F loodplain T errace g ravels

N orth L echladc

% a rboreal p ollen % s hrub p ollen

I 3 0 1 6.6

% h erbaceous p ullen

5 3.2 8 8.9

7 1

P inus

2 1

1 1

1 1

B etula Q uercus

4 1 9

3 0 2

U lmus T ilia F raxinus A lnus C oryloid S alix I lex

I I 8 .4 2 .7

I II 7 . 5 4

1

1 1

3

1

9 2 8 7

1 7 1 0

+

7

1 3

1 4

1 37

+

6 8 1

1 9 6

7

2 3

2

1 2

1 1

9 1

2

1

3

1

C irsium t ype

1

T araxacum t ype

5

S uccisa L ABIATAE k stragalus t ype

3 1 3 1 5 4 1 8

3 1

L otus t ype 7 1R 7 7 type

1

P lantago m ajor t ype

1

P olygenum a viculare t ype R umex a cetosa a cetosella R ANUNCULACEAE T halictrum

1

3

6 12 1

1

2 1

A QUATICS ( total) L itorella M yriophyllum a lterniflorum

1 4 1 1 1 4 7 1

1 2 1 4

U MBELLIFERAE U rtica t ype

1 3

1 1

6 6 1

1

5 1

1 5 1

5 1

1 +

1 0 2

2 5 2 3

1 6 9

1 3

1 6 1 2

1 1

4 0 3 8

9 9

2 2

3 3

4 3

2 2

4 9

1

L ycopodium c lavatum t ype

4

S ELAGINELLA

7

S PHAGNUM T OTAL P OLLEN

I

1

1 96 3 4

P olypodium P teridium

R adley

5 4

6

4 8

P TERIDOPHYTES ( total) F ILICALES

4

1

4 9

N YMPHACEAE T ypha a ngustifolia t ype T ypha l atifolia

I II

9 3.0

1

C YPERACEAE C ARYOPHYLLACEAE H elianthemum C HENOPOOI ' ICEA, 2

R OSACEAE F ilipendula P otentilla t ype R UBIACEAE S CROPHULARIACEAE

I

1 1 2 6 4 1

G RA I iINEAE

A rtemisia B idens t ype

I

7

J uniperus B etula n ana t ype

C OMPOSITAE ( total) A nthemis t ype

S tandlake I V 4 .5 2 .5

1 2 58

5 13

4 8

4 8

3 13

4

n umber

o f

F ilipendula

S elaginella,

a re

( 23.5%),

s uggestive

t he

p resence

o f a w arming

o f

J uniperus

p hase p rior

t o

a nd

t he

f ull

e xpansion o f e ither j uniper o r b irch w oodland. T he h igh C yperaceae, F ilipendula, T ypha a ngustifolia a nd T . l atifolia a re p robably r elated t o

t he

l ocal d evelopment

g ravels. a re

A

r ange o f

i ndicated

Helianthemum,

b y

t he

r eedswamp b y t he

t he

p resence

r iver o r o n

t he

s ome f airly d ry a nd

o f

C aryophyllaceae,

t errace

b ase r ich, C ompositae,

R umex a cetosa/acetosella t ype a nd T halictrum.

S ample N LIII d id w as d erived

o f

o pen h abitats,

n ot

f rom a s mall

p roduce p eat

a s atisfactory c ount.

T his

s ample

l ens b uried w ithin t he u pper g ravels o f

t errace a nd m ay r epresent

a s lumped m ass

o f

t he

o ld

f loodplain

material. I t may t herefore h ave b een s ubject t o c onsiderable r eworki ng. T he f ew g rains r ecognised, h owever, i ndicate a r estricted b ut o pen

v egetation.

A ssuming

w orked,

t hen

w ith

f ew h erbs

a

a ge,

( Table

r ecorded.

t hought

S ample t errace,

N LIV,

w as

t he P inus

T he

t o b e

i nblown o r

s edge v egetation m ay

b e

i mplies

f rom

a n

a n o pen,

e xposed

e xtensive p eat

l ens

t o

c ontain t wo

f irm

c f.

i ndica-

e nvironment. a t

b y r adiocarbon a ssay t o 2 8,400

p ollen s eems

r e-

e nvisaged,

S pores o f L ycopodium

T he p ollen t hus g ives n o

i t

d ated

2 ).

a nd

i ncluding F ilipendula.

c lavatum w ere a lso t ion o f

m ost o f

a n o pen g rass

t he b ase ± .1 000

o f

t he

y ears b .p.

p opulations,

o ne

o f

r elatively u ndamaged f resh-looking p ollen g rains a nd o ne o f b adly c orroded a nd f olded g rains. C onsiderable g roundwater m ovement o ccurs t hrough t he g ravels o lder

m aterial,

s ediments c eous

i s

a quatics, b y

l evel,

T he

h owever,

a nd

r epresented

t his

a nd

i ncorporation o f

p ossible.

p ollen,

J uniperus

a t

o r

b ut

r eworking o f

p ollen f rom

f rom

o verlying

s ample c ontains a l arge r ange o f s hows

l ow v alues

w hich m ight

t he o ther

t hus

p ollen w ashed

s uggest a c ooler p eriod

s amples.

h erba-

f or F ilipendula,

T he v aried

B etula,

t han t hat

r ecord w ith a

l arge

r ange o f h erbaceous p ollen d oes i mply a w ell d eveloped v egetation, a s uggestion s upported b y t he r elatively l ow r ecord f or P inus. P inus, a s

t he l ong d istance

c ance

w here

l ocal

t ransport

e lement ' ,

t ends

t o

p ollen p roduction d ecreases

i ncrease i n s ignifit o v ery

l ow

v alues.

T he h igh p roportions o f C ompositae, P lantago, R anunculus a nd G ramineae m ay i ndicate c olonisation o f d isturbed g round. T he t hermop hilous e lement may b e r elatively r ecent p ollen w ashed a long a t j unction o f t he t errace d eposits a nd t he u nderlying c lay.

t he

S tandlake a nd R adley T he S tandlake a nd R adley s amples p roduced b e o f m uch p alynological v alue. I n a ll c ases, s ion

a nd

e rosion o f

t he

p ollen,

p lus

t oo l ittle p ollen t o t he d egree o f c orra-

t he l arge p ercentage o f

P inus

p ollen i n t he c ounts, s uggest t hat o ne i s d ealing w ith a r esidual o r h eavily r eworked p ollen a ssemblage w hich m ay r eveal l ittle a bout t he d epositional p ollen

e nvironment

g rains

p resent

t o

a t

t he

t ime o f d eposition.

i ndicate o ther

t han c old

T here a re c onditions

n o w ith

l ittle l ocal v egetation. 3 .6

V ERTEBRATES E arlier

w orkers

r ecord

a v ariety o f

v ertebrate r emains

f rom

t he

F loodplain T errace g ravels o f t he U pper T hames. S andford ( 1924) l ists n umerous f inds o f t eeth, b ones a nd t usks o f M ammuthus p rimigenius

a nd

C oelodonta a ntiquitatis 4 9

a round O xford,

w hile R ichard-

s on a nd

S andford

( 1960)

d iscovered

B ourton-on-the-Water.

S andford

r emains o f b oth t hese m ammals ( 1965)

a lso

n oted n umerous

f erous s ites i n t he u pper r eaches o f t he T hames. o f v ertebrate r emains i s a l ess f requent e vent, m echanisation o f g ravel

e xtraction,

b ut

n ear

f ossili-

T oday, t he r ecovery d ue mainly t o t he

t eeth a nd

t usks

o f M ammuthus

p rimigenius h ave b een f ound b y t he p resent a uthors i n t he t errace g ravels n ear S tandlake, a ntlers o f R angifer t arandus h ave b een d isc overed

b oth

t here

a nd

a t

N orthmoor,

l imb

b ones

o f

C oelodonta

a ntiquitatis w ere c ollected f rom Q ueensford, a nd q uarry w orkers t he a rea c laim t o h ave s een n umerous s imilar i tems. M ost

o f

s ometimes

t hese

t he

f inds c ome f rom

m atrix

a dhering

t he v ery b ase o f

t o

t he r emains

t he g ravels,

i ndicates

t hat

i n

a nd t hey

o riginally l ay o n t he c lay s urface b eneath t he t errace d eposits. O nly r arely a re v ertebrate r emains f ound w ithin t he b ody o f t he t errace g ravels. p arable t o t hat o f

T he d istribution o f v ertebrates i s t herefore c omt he p alaeoliths, a nd l ike t he a rtefacts may r eveal

r elatively l ittle a bout c onditions d uring t errace a ggradation. H owe ver, a s s hown b elow ( section 3 8 ), t here i s e vidence t o b elieve t hat mammals w ere o ccupying 3 .7

t he s tart o f

t errace a ggradation.

N ON-MARINE M OLLUSCA N on-marine

s ites

i n t he

m olluscan

t errace

c haracteristics a nd g ravels ( relative t o t ion l ayer) i nterstadial 3 .7.1

f aunas h ave b een r ecovered

( Table 5 ).

O n t he b asis o f

f rom

t heir

s everal

s edimentary

t heir s tratigraphic p osition i n t he t errace t he n ear u biquitous i ntra-formational c ryoturba-

t hese c an b e a ssigned t o o r p ost-glacial p hases.

M id-Devensian,

L ate-Devensian

I dentification T he

m esh

t he a rea a t

s amples w ere a ir d ried,

s ieve

b efore

s orting

a nd

w eighed

a nd w ashed

i dentification

t hrough a 2 50 pm

u nder

a

b inocular

s tereo-microscope. T he n umber o f b ivalves c ounted h as b een h alved s o t hat T able 5 i ndicates t he n umbers o f i ndividuals p resent a t e ach o f t he

s even

s ites.

t he

s pecies o f P isidia p resent,

T he p rincipal d ifficulties d amaged

s pecimens

f ound

m ost p robably e ither S uccineidae c annot b e a ppears

i n

t he

o f

t he

a nd

i n r ecognising

t he l arge n umbers o f

s amples.

T he

j uvenile o r

j uvenile p lanorbids

a re

Anisus l eucostoma o r G yraulus l aevis. T he i dentified w ith c ertainty; S uccinea o blonga

t o h ave b een p resent

r emainder

i n i dentification l ies

a t Hardwick a nd

S uccineids

a ppear

t o

S utton C ourtenay.

b e

r eferable

t o

T he

O xyloma

p feifferi c f. s chumacheri A ndreae, w hich i s a f orm n ow e xtinct i n t he B ritish I sles, b ut c ommon i n B ritish c old P leistocene d eposits ( Sparks

i n

S hotton 1 968).

I t

e xcellently

b roken,

t he d istinctive c old P leistocene

a re o f

b roader,

e ither r educed

w ith u p o r

s pecimens

i llustrated

( 1957).

l er,

T he

i s

R egteren A ltena

t o 6 whorls,

a bsent.

I t

i s

o f P upilla m uscorum,

w ith t he

i llustrated

f orm,

b y

v an

w hen n ot

w hich i s

t al-

t ooth o n t he i nner l ip

i n K erney e t a l.

( 1964).

T he i dentification o f s pecies o f t he s lug g enus D eroceras m ust b e t reated w ith c aution s ince i dentifications b ased o n s hell m orphology a re

k nown

t o

l amellibranch r ecorded

b e n ot P isidium

i n T able 5 .

f ully

r eliable.

M any o f

t he

v alves

o btusale a re c onsiderably i nflated T hese

i nflated

f orms m ay b e

50

r eferred

o f

t he

a nd

a re

t o

t he

s ub-arctic f orm P isidium o btusale l apponicum C lessin. T hey a re, h owever, n ot u sually a s i nflated a s t hose i llustrated b y D ance ( 1961) f rom

t he M id-Devnsian i nterstadial

s hire.

I n

t he l argest

s ite a t U pton W arren,

p opulation a t A bingdon,

f orms o ccur. O therwise t he i dentification o f m ust b e r egarded a s p rovisional. M olluscan ( 1976). 3 .7.2

t erminology u sed

h ere

W orcester-

m uch l ess

i nflated

t he P isidium

f ollows K erney ( 1976)

s pecies

a nd W alden

I nterpretation

T he s ites s tudied d iffer c onsiderably i n a ge, a nd t here a re i ndications t hat t he f loodplain e nvironment a nd a ssociated f luvials edimentary d iffered

r egime

N evertheless, g eneral

o f L ate-Devensian A bingdon a nd R adley

s ignificantly t he

f rom

t hose p revailing a t

f aunas h ave m uch i n c ommon,

s imilarities

i n t he n ature

t he

m ay

o ther

p robably

h ave s ites.

r eflecting

a nd d istribution o f h abitats

f ound

o n t he d eveloping f loodplains. D etailed c onsideration o f t he e nv ironmental a ssociations o f t he m ore i mportant t axa a ids i nterpretat ion. V alvata f acies, 1 964).

p iscinalis

s tream b eds. s mall r ivers P isidium

f avours

q uieter,

b eing m ore o f a l ake s pecies I t m ay h ave o ccupied p onds,

s lightly

a quatic

T he o ccasional p resence o f m oving w ater a s s treams f lowing b etween, o r l inking, p ools i s s uggested

h enslowanum,

P isidium

a mnicum a nd

p ossibly a lso

s ubtruncatum, P isidium n itidum a nd P hysa f ontinalis. i ndications o f: i .

t he p resence o f

l arge r ivers;

i i.

r apidly f lowing

s hallow w ater;

i ii. T he

d eeper

t han a r iverine s pecies ( Oklund s mall l akes o r d eeper p ools i n

e ssentially s table b ed

g astropod

Ancylus

f luviatilis

o r b y

P isidium

T here a re

n o

c onditions. a nd

t he

l arger

f reshwater

r iverine b ivalves a re e ntirely m issing. F airly c osmopolitan a quatic s pecies, t olerant o f a ll b ut t he m ost u nfavourable a quatic h abitats, a re c ommon a nd i nclude L ymnaea p alustris, L ymnaea p eregra, A rmiger c rista, B athyomphalus c ontortus, H ippeutus c omplanatus, S phaerium c orneum,

a nd

P isidium m ilium.

R elatively c lean,

p lant-rich,

s hallow

w ater h abitats a re s uggested b y V alvata c ristata, P lanorbis p lanorbis a nd A croloxus l acustris; t he p oorest a quatic e nvironments, s uch a s s mall

f loodplain p ools,

c hannels

l eucostoma, P isidium marsh s pecies o ccur. m inimum,

M uch d rier

s hade o r

t o d rought - p ossibly e ven t he b road

t ree

h owever,

b y L ymnaea

t runcatula,

c asertanum, a nd P isidium N otable a re t he S uccineid

C ochlicopa l ubrica, t errestrial

P upilla muscorum, a nd T he p resence o f t hese h as,

s ubject

t hemselves - a re r epresented

D eroceras

s pp.,

c onditions

o btusale. s nails,

A nisus

S everal C arychium

a nd T richia h ispida.

a re s uggested

b y t he x erophile

t he d rier g rassland s nail V allonia c ostata. s pecies, c oupled w ith t he t otal a bsence o f

i ndicators,

s uggests o pen c onditions.

o ccasionally

b een o bserved

i n

P upilla muscorum

c ontemporary

w etland

h abitats ( Boycott 1 934), a nd a s p art o f L ate-Devensian marsh c ommunit ies o n t he C halk o f S outh E ast E ngland ( Kerney 1 963, K erney e t a l. 1 964). 5 1

_

"

6 80

,

5 0

N on—marine M ollusca

1 4 4

. '

. . 2 : E

• ' . . " . '

.

. .

. '

. . . 2

. '

. -

.

. "

..

. . .

r .

.

8 5

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— .

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i i . . . . . . . - .- . - . ....... r . . . .- .' , • : . e ä e .

3 0

.

208

.

. -

.

.

2 49

t , I :

3 5

-

4 $5

i I-

E i $

t f

I

t he F loodplain T errace g ravels.

.

1 : .

e , . . • -

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F ERRUG INOU S

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1 .5

SANDY GRAVEL

L ENSES

F ERRUG IN OUS SANDY GR AVEL

' OXF ORD CL AY

F igure 2 0.

D uring

e xcavation,

t aken f or

p ollen

p article

a nd m olluscs.

o f a v ery l arge a dult

t he g ravels

p it

a rchaeological

t he a nalysis o f

p hology, h umurus

4 .3.2

S ection i n t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels M agdalen C ollege D eer P ark, O xford, M arch 1 984. d etails w ere n oted s ize,

c last

A s ingle l ion

a nd

l ithology,

s pecimen o f

a t

s amples m icromor-

a l eft

d istal

( Panthera l eo) w as r ecovered

f rom

( unit I I).

A rchaeological F inds

( by J .R .

C ollis)

I n t he n orthern, s outhern a nd w estern s ection o f t he e xcavated t here w as a s hallow f eature c ut i nto t he u nderlying g ravel ( Fig.

2 0). I n t he s outhern s ection, t he e dge o f t his f eature w as i n t he c orner o f t he h ole, a nd i n t he n orthern s ection, i t w as 1 .3m f rom t he n orth w est c orner, f ill w as 7 -10cm o f

r unning b lack,

a t a n a ngle o f 2 13 ° N magnetic. T he l owest h umic s oil, o verlain b y a s pread o f o range

g ravel o f v ariable t hickness. T his i n t urn w as s ealed b y g rey-brown, g ravelly s oil w hich m erged w ith t he h umus. A s t he f eature w as n ot s een i n p lan, t runcated

i t m ight b e i nterpreted

d itch a ligned

t he

s ection :

p ot

o f

a s mall

p robable

a s a s hallow p it,

n orth-south.

O ne

f ragment o f a g ritty,

l ater-medieval d ate.

F rom

s herd

w as

h ard, t he

g ully,

r ecovered

o r a f rom

g rey w are c ooking

s poil,

t wo

s herds o f

s andy c ooking p ot w ere c ollected o ne w ith a g reen g lazed s urface, w hich h ad a t hick g laze o n o ne s ide a nd w as s peckled o n t he o ther. A f ourteenth-fifteenth c entury d ate i s p robable. T here o yster s hells a nd t wo b ones - a m andible a nd t he d istal r adius

o f

s heep o r g oat.

T he

f inds h ave b een d eposited

w ere e nd

a lso o f a

w ith

t he

O xfordshire A rchaeological U nit.

l m

T his c orner o f t he D eer P ark s eems t o h ave b een l owered b y a bout i n c omparison t o t he a rea o utside t he w alls. T here a re s everal

h ollows

s uggestive

o f

p ast

g ravel

e xtraction. 7 8

T hese

a re

m ainly

c oncentrated

s outh o f

a n e ast-west

t rack w hich

r uns

f rom

t he

e astern

e nd o f t he n orthwestern b lock o f t he p resent c ollege b uildings. t rack a ntedates t he p resent i nternal f acing o f t he b oundary w all, n o t race l owering t he

o f a b locked e ntrance s urvives. I t s uggests t hat t he c ould h ave t aken p lace i n t he l ater m edieval p eriod, w hen

? pit d escribed

4 .3.3

T he a s

a bove, may h ave b een d ug.

C last i mbrication V arious

m ethods

o f

a nalysing

t he

f low d irection

o f

f luvially

d eposited g ravels a re a vailable, d epending u pon t he c haracter o f t he m aterials. I n t he c ase o f c last-contact d eposits, w here i ndividual p ebbles

s upport

e ach

o ther

i ndependent o f

t he

m atrix,

t he

b est

p alaeo-flow d irection i ndicator i s p robably t he m easurement o f c last i mbrication. T his p roperty r elates t o t he d irection o f d ip o f t he p lane t ends

o f m aximum p rojection o f t he c lasts; i n f luvial s ystems t his t o d ip i nto t he f low. F ifty p ebbles w ere t aken a nd a nalysed

f or c last

i mbrication i n

t he

e xposure,

a t

t he l evel

n ous, s andy m easurements

g ravel a t a d epth o f 1 .8m ( Unit I V). t aken w as r estricted b ecause o f t he

s phericity o f

t he p articles,

a nd

t he s carcity o f

o f

t he

f errugi-

T he n umber o f r elatively h igh

p ebble

s hapes w ith a

c lear p lane o f m aximum p rojection ( e.g. d iscoidal o r b lade-shaped p articles). M oreover, p article d ips w ere n ormally l ow, r endering m any c last

c last

u nsuitable

T he r esults a re p resented i n F ig. 2 1. T he d ata i ndicating i mbrication d isplay s ome s catter, w ith t he r esult t hat

v ector m agnitudes l ow .

I n

marked

b imodality

d ue

f or a nalysis.

t o

( a m easure o f

t he u pper

s ample,

i n

s trength o f

o f v ariable

d isturbance

( e.g.

t he

s catter r eflects

t he d istribution o f

t he e ffects

t ional

t he

t his

c last

i mbrication)

o r

a re

t he p resence o f

i mbrications,

f low d irections o r

s lumping

t he t he

t o

a

e ither

p ost-deposi-

c ryoturbation).

T he

l ower

s ample, o n t he o ther h and, s hows a s ignificant, t hough f ar f rom u niform, i mbrication t owards t he N NE. B ecause o f t he w ide s catter a round t he m ean v ector o rientation, t he r esults must b e t reated w ith c aution. T he i mplication, h owever, i s t hat t he g ravels w ere l aid d own b y t he p roto-Cherwell r ather t han t he T hames. M ore s amples, f rom

a

w ider d istribution o f

s ites,

w ould

b e n ecessary

t o

c onfirm

t his. 4 .3.4

P article s ize

P article s ize a nalyses w ere c arried o ut b y a c ombination o f d ry s ieving a nd h ydrometer m ethods, u sing b ulk s amples o f 1 .5 t o 6 .0kg. T he r esults a re p resented i n F ig. 2 2. P article

i n t he f orm o f c umulative f requency c urves s ize p arameters w ere d erived b y g raphic

i nclusion m ethods

1 976c)

T he i nto

( Briggs

p article

s eems

t o

S amples M l,

s eparate

t wo d istinct

r epresenting

s tream.

I t

p roportion

M 2,

s hown i n T able 1 0 .

c an g enerally b e

M 3,

M 4 a nd M 5,

a ll

s een f rom

t o

f all

t he u pper

s ection, a re c haracterised b y markedly b imodal w ith a b reak b etween 0 .0 a nd 1 .06 ( 1.0-0.5mm).

p ossibly c omprises

a re

s ize d istributions

t wo g roups.

l evels o f t he d istributions,

a nd

i s

3 0-40% t han

n otable o f

c omponents

t he b edload t he

c an b e

t hat t otal

a nd

t he f iner

t o

s uspended

t he l oad

f raction

s ediment w eight.

e xplained

b y a ssuming 7 9

t hat

i n T his t he

s ize T his

d istributions, o f

t he

t hese i s

a

s and

p arent s amples g reater i s

a n

A .

270

9 0

F igure 2 1.

P article g ravels

9 0

i mbrication

i n

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace

a t Magdalen C ollege,

O xford.

9 9

9 5 90 I f

7

P ERCENTAGE COARSER

//

80

I/ /

7 0 6 0 5 0 40 3 0 /

2 0

1 0 5

I I

— — — U pper G rave l

1 6

F igure 2 2.

P article

L ower G rave l 4

22

0 P H I S IZE

4

s ize d istributions

S ummertown-Radley T errace

8 0

o f

g ravels

f rom

t he

a t M agdalen C ollege,

O xford.

i nfiltration

c omponent w ashed

i nto

t he b ed m aterial d uring p hases o f

l ow f low. I nstead, i t m ust b e a ssumed t hat t he s tream w as d epositing b oth c oarse a nd f ine m aterial m ore-or-less s imultaneously. T his s eems t o b e c haracteristic o f m eandering s treams w ith c ohesive b ank m aterials, a s o pposed t o t he s ituation i n b raided s treams d veloped o n n on-cohesive g ravel b eds. A s s uch, t hese s amples c ontrast w ith s amples M 6 a nd M 7, f rom t he b asal g ravels i n t he s ection, w hich b oth h ave m ore u nimodal s ize d istributions. S imilar

d iscrepancies a re s een i n t he p article s ize

p arameters

( Table 1 0). S amples M l, M 3, M 4 a nd M 5 h ave m oderate p ositive s kews, a nd, e xcept f or M l, s omewhat p latykurtic s ize d istributions ( with k urtosis v alues b elow 0 .80). h igh p ositive s kewness a nd

I n c ontrast, l eptokurtic

S ample M 2 i s,

e xceptional w ith a v ery h igh

v alue

t o s ome e xtent,

( poorly s orted)

T able 1 0

a nd

s amples M 6 a nd M 7 h ave d istributions ( Kg>1.0). s orting

i ntermediate s kewness a nd k urtosis.

P article s ize p arameters f or t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels a t M agdalen C ollege, O xford S IZE P ARAMETERS P hi m ean

S orting

S kewness

K urtosis

S AMPLE

( 7)

( So)

( Sk)

( Kg)

M 1

0 .59

3 .92

0 .277

0 .962

M 2

0 .38

4 .67

0 .558

0 .955

M 3

1.32

2 .19

0 .208

0 .659

M 4

0 .89

2 .23

0 .279

0 .624

M 5

0 .56

3 .10

0 .208

0 .792

M 6

1.17

3 .69

0 .208

0 .797

M 7

1.52

2 .26

0 .634

1 .582

T hese d ifferences b etween t he t wo g roups o f s amples a ppear t o r eflect t he d ifferent d epositional p rocesses a ssociated w ith t he g ravels. T he u pper g ravels s eem t o b e m eandering r iver d eposits; t he l ower g ravels a re m ore a kin t o d eposits l aid d own i n b raided r iver e nvironments. T he s uggestion - a nd i t c an o nly b e t entative - i s t hat t he b asal g ravels r epresent b raided s tream d eposits i nto w hich a m eandering s tream e roded b efore d epositing t he f ine g rey, f ossilif erous s ilts o f U nit I II. G iven t he t endency i n t he O xford r egion, i n t he P leistocene, f or b raided r ivers t o b e a ssociated w ith c old s tage

e nvironments,

a nd

m eandering c hannels

t o b e a ssociated

w ith

w arm-stage e nvironments, t he s edimentological e vidence p resented h ere i s s een t o b e c onsistent w ith t he i nterpretation o f t he s ection a dvanced b y S andford ( 1924): s pecifically, t hat t he s equence o f d eposits a t M agdalen C ollege r epresents a c old- t o w arm-stage a ggrad ation a nd e xtends f rom t he S tanton H arcourt g ravel i nto t he E ynsham g ravel.

T his

e vidence w hich

a ssertion

i s c,msistent

f ollows. 8 1

w ith

t he

p alaeontological

4 .3.5

C last T wo

l ithology

s amples w ere

( by D .

B ridgland)

a nalysed;

o ne

( M1)

f rom t he g ravel

a bove,

a nd

o ne f rom t he g ravels b elow t he s ilts ( M6) ( Fig. 2 0). B ecause o f t he l imited s ample s ize i t w as n ecessary t o c ombine s everal c last s izer anges

t o

a rrive a t

a s tatistically v alid

c last

t otal.

T he a nalysis

o f s maller c lasts ( 8-11.2mm) t han w ould n ormally h ave b een c hosen w as a lso n ecessary f or t he s ame r eason. A c last t otal o f 2 50 i s g enera lly b e

c onsidered d esirable f or v alid n oted

t hat

o nly t he c ombined

t his

r equirement,

( and

t herefore

w hile

c ount

f rom t he

t he c ombined

p ercentage

c ount

s tatistics;

( 8-32mm)

s ample n o. a lso)

o f

M 1

r eaches

i t w ill

s ample M 6

f ulfils

t he 8 -11.2mm

f raction

t he r equisite

n umber

( Table 1 1). I n s amples

t erms

o f

t he 8 -32mm f ractions,

a re b roadly

l imestones, r epresented

s imilar.

t he l ithologies

L ocal m aterials,

o f

t he

e specially

t wo

J urassic

d ominate t he s amples, t hough t hey a re s omewhat u nderi n t he c oarsest f raction ( 11-32mm). F lint a nd l ithologies

o f n orthern o r w estern p rovenance ( e.g. o rthoquartzite a nd C arboniferous c hert)

v ein q uartz, m etaquartzite, a re a lso p resent i n s ignifi-

c ant q uantities, a nd g enerally i ncrease i n a bundance i n t he 1 6-32mm f raction. I ronstone i s p resent i n a ll f ractions i n s mall q uantities. R elatively f rom o ther O xford

f ew

c ounts

e xposures

a rea,

d ifficult.

m aking G oudie

i n

t he C herwell

a t

b etween

c last

c omparisons o r

( 1976)

T hames u pstream o f E ynsham), a nd B ishop d etected

o f

l ithology h ave

i n t he S ummertown-Radley

l ithostratigraphic

h as p ublished

B egbroke

( Table 1 2).

a nalyses.

c ontain

a n

e xcess o f

f lint

a nd

l imestone a nd

f or

t wo

t o

s ites i n t he

S tandlake a nd f rom t he t errace m aterial

t he M agdalen C ollege

n orthern/western

i ronstone.

C ompared

a re n umber o f

p ossible

e xplanations

f or

i n t he

c orrelation

c an b e i n

t o

t he

s amples

l ithologies, t he g ravels

B egbroke, t he M agdalen C ollege s amples a re d eficient i n b ut h ave b roadly s imilar q uantities o f e xotic m aterials. T here

p ublished

S everal d ifferences

C ompared

S tandlake Stanton Harcourt-Eynsham a rea, n oticeably l ess

f igures

t he E venlode c onfluence ( at ( 1958) r eported a s ingle c ount

t hese

b een

t errace d eposits

b ut a t

i ronstone,

t hese

d iscrepan-

c ies. U pstream o f t he E venlode, t here a re f ew s ources o f e ither f lint o r " northern o r w estern materials", s ave f or s cattered o utliers o f a ncient d rifts w hich c ap t he h illtops o f t he U pper T hames C onsequently, t he t erraces i n t he S tanton H arcourt a rea t end l acking f or t he

b asin. t o b e

t hese m aterials. T he E venlode, h owever, a cted a s a r outeway i ntroduction o f c opious q uantities o f ' Bunter a nd a ssociated

l ithologies d uring t he e mplacement o f t he P lateau f lint w as a lso i ntroduced d uring t he a ggradation o f

D rift, w hereas t he W olvercote

T errace g ravels. T he i ncreased p ercentage o f t hese l ithologies i n t he M agdalen C ollege s amples may t herefore r eflect t heir e ntrance v ia t he E venlode, a nd s ubsequent i ncorporation i nto l ater t errace g rav els.

I n

t his

c ontext,

i t

i s n otable

t hat

t he

M agdalen

s amples a re b roadly s imilar t o m aterial f rom t he W olvercote a t W olvercote ( Bishop 1 958: G oudie 1 976; a nd T able 1 1). I t p ossible T hames, t he

t hat b ut

e ast.

b y

t he M agdalen C ollege g ravels t he C herwell,

T his

l atter

w hich

l ies

w ere d eposited

t errace i s a lso b y

o nly a f ew h undred m etres

i nterpretation a grees w ith

8 2

n ot

C ollege

t he

e vidence

t he t o o f

T able 1 1

C last

l ithology o f t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels a t M agdalen C ollege, O xford

S ample C last ( mm)

M 3

M 8

s ize r ange 8 -11.2

1 1.2-16

1 6-32

8 -32

8 -11.2

1 1.2-16

1 6-32

6 -32

L OCAL N OND URABLES: O olitic l imes tone B ioclastic l imestone O ther l imes tones C alcareous f ossils C alcareous s andstone P hosphatic? f ossils

4 9.5

4 0 .4

2 3.7

4 5.0

3 9.6

5 6.9

3 6.4

4 3.3

1 1.3

1 5.9

5 .1

1 1.8

1 1.4

8 .3

6 .1

1 0 .1

1 8.4

1 7.9

3 0.5

1 9.4

2 3.8

1 5.3

1 5.2

2 0 .8

2 .0

2 .6

1 .7

1 .9

7 .9

8 .3

1 2.1

8 .5

1 .7

1 .2

2 .0

3 .0

1 .6

2 .0

-

0 .7

8 2.5

7 6.8

6 2.7

7 9.3

8 5.8

8 8.9

7 2.7

8 5.0

N odular B roken T ertiary p ebbles? W eathered

0 .2 1 .8 7 .4

0 .2 6 .6

1 .7 1 .7 1 0 .2

0 .2 1 .9 0 .2 7 .5

1 .5 4 .0

1 .6

3 .0 6 .1

0 .3 1 .0 3 .6

T OTAL F LINT

9 .4

8 .6

1 3.6

9 .6

5 .4

1 .6

9 .1

4 .9

N ORTHERN/ W ESTERN : V ein q uartz M etaquartzite O rthoquartzite

0 .7 0 .5 1 .2

2 .6 3 .3 4 .0

3 .4 5 .1 6 .8

1 .4 1 .6 2 .3

0 .5 0 .5 1 .0

2 .8 1 .4 1 .4

1 5.2

1 .0 0 .7 9 .1

C arboniferous C hert P orphyry

1 .2 0 .2

2 .0 -

5 .1 -

1 .7 0 .2

1 .0 -

-

-

0 .7 -

M etamorphic U nknown s andstone U nknown c hert

0 .2 0 .5

0 .7 0 .7

-

0 .2 0 .2 0 .5

0 .5

_

_

0 .3

T OTAL N ORTHERN/ W ESTERN

4 .4

1 3.2

8 .5

3 .5

5 .6

1 5.2

5 .2

0 .5

2 .5

1 .7

1 .4

3 .0

4 .2

3 .0

3 .3

1 .7

1 .2

5 9

6 44

2 02

7 2

3 3

3 07

T OTAL L OCAL NDUR

1 .0

D URABLES: a ) F LINT:

b )

2 0 .3

O THERS: I ronstone, a rgillaceous I ronstone, a renaceous

0 .5

0 .7

2 .0

0 .7

C ontemporaneous a ggregate

2 .0

T OTAL C OUNT

4 34

1 51

8 3

1 .6

C • 1

•

W OLVERCOTE

0 o

t he U pper T hames

E 1

C V .

i _ _ _ _ _ _ _

0 0 •I •

s e .. . ____ I

'

1 1 4 . r ) .1 . . . _ . •-

1

N •

4 4

H a •a ) 4 . ) o

' B t t n u e r q r u a z 0

0

• c 0

$ . 4 a )

l ithologies o f t he S ummertown-Radley a nd Wolvercote g ravels

4 4

c v m c i

t r ) •

c o c o

t n.

0 0 C I • • 0 4 4

• • • • 4 4 c \ I C N I v . 1 v 4 4 . 1

4 4 0

4 4 e n • • % . 0 r 4

o p • 4 . r )

4 4 • 0

l U •

• 4 . r 1

C • 1

.

I—

0

I n

0

• 4

.__ .1

.F ._

C I L n ._ __ _ _ 4 • r • • v 1 0 1

. 4 )

. 4 i C O

o f

s everal

4 4

• C O a )

L ITHOLOGY

C s . 1 1 4

c last

i mbrication,

a nd

i n

t his c ase

t he b road

s imilarity b etween

M agdalen C ollege a nd B egbroke m aterial c an b e e xplained; l ost i s s ource.

t he T he

i ronstone w hich a t B egbroke h as a n c lasts f rom t his s ource m ight h ave

s orting o r a brasion, t ransport d ownstream. I n

e ither

o r d iluted

c ase,

t he

r elatively h igh

g ies

h e lp

o lder

t han

4 .3.6

t o d emonstrate t he W olvercote

P ollen ( by C .O.

t hat

t he

t hat

i s

i mmediately l ocal b een r emoved b y

b y t he i nflux o f

M agdalen C ollege s ite d emonstrates i ntrr,d uction o f f lint i nto t he a rea.

a ll

l imestones

f lint

d uring

c ontent

o f

t he

t hat t he g ravels p ost-date t he C onsequently t he c last l itholo-

t he M agdalen C ollege g ravels

a re

n o

t errace g ravels.

Hunt)

T hree s amples w ere s elected f or p ollen a nalysis ( A ,D a nd G o n F ig.20). T he s amples w ere p rocessed u sing s tandard t echniques ( Hunt 1 984). e ach

T wo

h undred Q uaternary p ollen a nd

s ample;

a lgal m icrofossils w ere

s pores w ere c ounted

a lso c ounted.

f rom

T he r esults a re

s hown i n T able 1 3. T he m orphs

r esults

a ll y ielded v ery a bundant

a nd v ery r are Q uaternary p ollen,

p re-Quaternary

s pores

a nd

a lgal

p alaeom icrofos-

s ils. T he p ollen s pectra w ere d ominated b y a rboreal a nd h erb p ollen. T he t ree p ollen i s m ostly P inus a nd C arpinus, b ut w ith s ome Q uercus a nd P icea a nd

s ingle o ccurrences o f

p ollen i s a lso w ell-represented, p ollen a ssemblages a re d iverse, s iteae, a lso

e specially C ompositeae

c ommon.

B idens-type s ingle

M arsh

m icrofossils.

T he

o f

( Liguliflorae). A quatic p lants

b y

C yperaceae,

a re r epresented b y

a n a ssemblage o f

C ryptogams c omprise D ryopteris,

F ilicales

C oryloid

C aryophyllaceae a re

r epresented

R umex o btusifolius a nd

h igh i ncidence o f

P teridium a nd

u ndif-

a rboreal

p ollen i n t he

t ree c over.

P inus,

C orylus m ay h ave b een l ocally p resent,

s amples

s uggests

Q uercus, b ut

t he

e xisted.

a

C arpinus,

l ow n umbers

o f A cer, T axus a nd B etula i mply t hat t hese w ere n ot i mportant l ocal v egetation. O n t he o ther h and, i t i s u nlikely t hat a w oodland

a

a lgal

s pecies.

l andscape w ith a s ubstantial P icea a nd

A cer a nd T axus.

e specially i n s ample D . T he h erb b ut a re h eavily d ominated b y C ompo-

a re p oorly

a nd R anunculaceae.

o ccurrence

f erentiated

t axa

B etula,

i n t he c losed

T he a bundance o f h erb p ollen s uggests t hat

t here

w ere a reas o f o pen g round, d ominated b y a t all-herb f lora. T axa s uch a s Armeria a nd Helianthemum i ndicate u nshaded, w ell-drained h abitats, w hile o ther h erbs s uch a s R anunculaceae, B idens-type a nd C yperaceae p oint t o t he p resence o f d amp g round, p robably a long t he margins o f t he c hannel. R umex o btusifolius a nd t he a lgal m icrofossils r eflect a r estricted

a quatic macroflora a nd

a n a bundant m icroflora.

T he h igh

i ncidence o f Z ygnemataceae a nd t he p resence o f T ype 1 19, i llustrated i n P als e t a l. ( 1980), i mply s tagnant o r v ery s low-moving, r ather s hallow

w ater,

( Rossignol) T he f rom

a nd

i ndicates

a bundance

M agdalen

t he o ccurrence o f t hat o f

C ollege

C oncentrictystites

p ollen o f b road-leaved i s

c irculus

t he w ater w as c alcareous.

e vidence o f t he

t rees

i n

e xistence

t he o f

s amples d eciduous

w oodland. T his, i n t urn, i mplies a c limate o f i nterglacial ( as o pposed t o c old-stage) s tatus. T he h igh f requencies o f C arpinus p ollen,

t ogether

w ith t he v irtual

a bsence o f

8 5

t axa s uch

a s

B etula,

T able

1 3

P ollen a nd a lgal m icrofossils f rom t he E ynsham G ravel a t M agdalen C ollege,

O xford

P er c ent A P inus

2 6.5

P icea B etula

2 .0

Q uercus C arpinus ?T axus

5 .0 6 .0 0 .5

A cer C oryloid

1 .0 4 1.0 3 .0 1 .0 0 .5

C ompositeae ( Liguliflorae) C aryophyllaceae A rmeria H elianthemum A nthemis-type

1 4.0 2 .5 2 .0 8 .0

0 .5 1 2.0

4 .5

2 6.0 4 .0

3 9.0 2 .5

1 .0 1 .5 0 .5 0 .5 2 .0 0 .5 2 .5

V alerlana C ampanula S erratula-type S uccisa p ratensis C arduus-type 2 .5 4 .0 2 .0

G ramineae C yperaceae B idens-type R anunculareae R umex O btusifolius F ilicales ( undiff.)

2 .5

P teridium D ryopteris

1 .5 0 .5

Z ygnemataceae C oncentricystites c irculus

( Rossignol)

1 980)

1 .0

1 .0 1 .0 1 .5 0 .5 0 .5

8 .0

1 .5 0 .5

4 .5 1 .5

+ 1 _

S phagnum

T ype 1 19 ( Pals e t a l. P ediastrum

1 2.0 1 .0 0 .5 4 .0 1 9.0

2 .0 1 .0

1 .0

5 .0

3 .0

0 .5

0 .5

9 .0 1 .0

1 .0 2 .0

8 6

f urther s uggest t hat t he l ate-temperate z one o f a n i nterglacial i s r epresented. C omparison o f t his a ssemblage w ith p ollen s pectra f rom o ther s ites a lso g ives c lues t o t he a ge o f t he d eposit. T he a bsence o f c haracteristic P liocene/Early P leistocene t axa s uch a s L iquidambar o r T suga p oints t o aM iddle o r U pper P leistocene d ate. T he a bsence o f A bies a nd t he r arity o f T axus a rgue a gainst c orrelation w ith H oxnian d eposits, i n w hich t hese t axa a re p revalent ( West 1 956, T urner 1 970). C onversely, t he p resence o f P icea a nd A cer, t he d omin ance o f C arpinus a nd t he r elatively h igh i ncidence o f h erb p ollen t ogether m ake t he p ollen s pectra f rom t he M agdalen C ollege s ite c losely c omparable t o t hose f rom d eposits a ttributed t o z one I II o f t he I pswichian I nterglacial ( 1974). 4 .3.7

N on-marine M ollusca i .

a s d escribed b y W est

( with N .M .

( 1957)

a nd P hillips

T hew)

T echniques

A ir-dried

s amples

o f

0 .5kg w ere w et-sieved

t hrough a 5 00 ,m m esh

s plit i nto t hree f ractions - 2 mm, l mm a nd 0 .5mm s hells. i dentified w ith a s tereo-binocular m icroscope. D r. R .C. D r.

M .P .

K erney k indly v erified

i i. T he

a nd

T hese w ere P reece a nd

t he i dentifications.

R esults

i dentifications a re s et o ut

i n T able 1 4.

S ample p rovenance

i s

s hown i n F ig. 2 . T o a id f uture s tudies o f m olluscan t aphonomy, c ounts a re a lso p resented o f t he n umbers o f s eparate l eft a nd r ight v alves o f b ivalves, a s w ell a s o f a rticulated s pecimens u sing s tandard M NI c onventions. I n t otal, 4 % o f t he t otal m olluscan a ssemb lage w ere t errestrial t axa ; 2 3% o f t he f reshwater i ndividuals w ere g astropods. i ii. S everal

D iscussion l ines

o f

e vidence s uggest

t hat

t aphonomic

p rocesses

h ave

p layed a n i mportant p art i n d etermining t he c haracter o f t he m ollusc an f ossil a ssemblage f ound a t M agdalen C ollege. T here i s a n i nverse c orrelation b etween e nclosing s ediment.

m olluscan a bundance a nd t he c oarseness T he b asal s amples a re g ravel-rich a nd

o f t he c ontain

f ew m olluscan r emains. T he g ravel c ontent i ncreases u pwards u ntil t he l evels o f s amples 1 8b a nd 1 7b, w hich a re f ine s ilts a nd r ich i n m olluscs. p oor

T he

u ppermost

l ayers a re g ravel-rich a nd

a lso r elatively

i n m olluscan r emains.

M olluscan p reservation i s a lso p roportional t o s ample t otals: t he m ost f ragile t axa, i ncluding L ymnaea p eregra a nd A ncylus f luviatile, o ccur i n 1 8b a nd 1 7b, i n w hich t he n umber o f t axa a nd M NI p er u nit w eight

o f

s ample a re . h ighest.

I n g eneral t hese r elationships r eflect t he c ircumstance t hat b ivalves t end t o l ive i n s oft-silt s ubstrates, h ence e nhancing t heir p robability o f b urial a nd p reservation i n f ine s ediments. O n t he o ther h and, g astropods - e specially t he p ulmonates - i nhabit l oca•t ions n earer t he s urface a mong s tones a nd v egetation. T he l ikelihood o f t ransportation f rom, o r d estruction w ithin, t his f luvial s ystem a re o bviously m uch h igher

f or g astropods. 8 7

T able 1 4

N on-marine M ollusa r ecorded f rom t he E ynsham G ravel, M agdalen C ollege, O xford A

B

C

D

E

F

G

L AND G ASTROPODS C arychium t ridentatum ( Risso) O xyloma c f. p feifferi ( Rossmassler)

-

-

1

1

-

-

P upilla m uscorum ( Linn ) V allonia p ulchella ( Müller) D eroceras/Limax C ochlicopa l ubrica ( Müller) T richia h ispida ( L.)

2 1 _

_

1

1 -

1 -

1 1 -

Z onitidae U nident

_

_

1 1

-

1 1

-

3

0

4

2

3

2

1

3 1 0 1 3

4 1 0 1 4

9 2 1 0 1 3 2 3

7 2 1 3 1 2 3

3 1 1 1 + -

7 1 7 + 1 1 6

1 1 1 2

T OTAL

( 16)

F RESHWATER G ASTROPODS V alvata p iscinalis ( Müller) B ithynia t entaculata ( Linng) - a pices - o percula L ymnaea p eregra ( Müller) G yraulus c f. l aevis ( Alder) A ncylus f luviatilis ( Linn ) T OTAL ( 107) F RESHWATER B IVALVES U nio s pp. S phaerium c orneum ( L.)

1 6

1

1 ✓ 1 ✓ 1 ✓ 1 ✓ 1 ✓ 1

2 1 2 3 5 1

1 2 2 3 3 -

4 8 1 1 4 7 1 1

6 1 0 2 2 5 7 1 2 -

3 2 1 1 5 1 1

+ 4 4 1 2 1 3 2 1 1

+ 3 2 1 1 1 -

1 3 1 2 1 -

4 2 1 3 1

1 6 1 6 2 3 9 8 5

1 1 3 7 2 3 7 4 2

2 1 0 1 0 2 3 -

1 1 5 1 -

P isidium m oitessierianum P aladilhe

✓ 1 ✓ 1 ✓ 1 ✓ 1

_

1 4 4 2 2 -

P isidium s pp.

✓ 1

2 1

1 3

3 8

1 4

1 -

-

2

✓ 1 ✓

3 5 4

1 4 5

7 1 2 1 3

3 9 1 8

1 5

3 1 0 5

3 6 7

P isidium a mnicum ( Müller) P isidium c asertanum ( Poll) P isidium s ubtruncatum ( Malm) P isidium ? supinum S chmidt P isidium ? supinum S chmidt - i n a ppend. P isidium h enslowanum ( Sheppard) P isidium h ibernicum ( Westerlund) P isidium n itidum J enyns

C orbicula f luminalis ( Müller)

M NI e stimated ( 288) T OTAL M NI ( 410) N otes:

1 = l eft;

r

2 6 4 2

r ight;

2 3 3 7

7 3 1 00

6 9 9 4

4

3 6 5 5

+ = f ragments p resent 8 8

3 9 5 1

2 2 2 5

i v.

L ocal a nd r egional e nvironments

T he t otal m olluscan a ssemblage f ound i s t ypical o f t hat o f a f airly l arge, v igorous r iver. T he f ollowing s pecies a ll p refer r apidly f lowing w ater w ith a s tony o r s andy s tream/river b ed: A ncylus f luviatile, P isidium a mnicum, P isidium s upinum, P isidium h enslowanum, P isidium m oitessierianum a nd C orbicula f luminalis. T he b ivalve s pecies a bove a lso r equire c alcium-rich w ater. P isidium c asertanum, P isidium s ubtruncatum, P isidium s upinum, a nd P isidium h ibernicum a re c haracteristic o f m oving w ater, s trates a s d oes t he g astropod

b ut a lso t end t o p refer m uddy B ithynia t entaculata. T his

s ubl ast

s pecies i s a lso a c alciphile a nd r equires a n a bundant a nd d iverse m acro-vegetation a s w ould t ypify t he q uieter " pools" o f a r iver, r ather t han t he m ore t orrential, c oarse-bedded, r iffle r eaches o f t he s tream. T he o verall p icture i s t herefore o f a f airly v igorous, r elatively m ajor r iver, w ith b oth q uieter a nd w ell-vegetated r eaches a nd f aster-flowing, s coured s ections. T his r econstruction s uggests a m eandering

r 6gime.

V ariations

i n s pecies c omposition t hrough t he p rofile

i ndicate

t hat t he r iver b ecame s lightly m ore v igorous t owards t he t op o f t he s equence: P isidium s upinum, P isidium m oitessierianum, a nd C orbicula f luminalis a ll i ncrease i n r elative a bundance, w hereas P isidium h ibernicum d eclines. F inally, t he f ew l and s pecies p resent a re a ll c haracteristic o f marsh o r d amp e nvironments, w ith t he e xception o f P upilla m uscorum w hich m ay h ave b een w ashed i nto t he a rea f rom d rier a reas n earby. s hade. T he

T here i s a n a bsence o f t axa i ndicative o f w oodland o r l and t axa p resent - P upilla m uscorum a nd V allonia

p ulchella - b oth p refer a m ore o pen h abitat. T he s poradic r epresent ation o f t hese s pecies w ithin t he s equence s uggests t heir r andom i ncorporation f rom r iver m argins. S everal c limate. t or o f

s pecies

g ive

d irect e vidence o f am ild

o r

t emperate

C orbicula f luminalis i s u sually c onsidered t o b e a n i ndicai nterglacial c onditions a lthough i t h as o ccasionally b een

n oted i n d eposits a ssociated w ith c older c onditions ( Kerney 1 977). C arychium t ridentatum, U nio s pp., a nd P isidium m oitessierianum a re k nown o nly f rom i nterglacial o r i nterstadial m olluscan a ssemblages. T he m inimal p resence o f B ithynia t entaculata i n t he b asal s ample, c ombined w ith t he e vidence o f a s ingle s pecimen o f G yraulus l aevis i n t he

s ample i mmediately a bove,

m ight i ndicate t hat

t he v ery b ase

t he s equence a ccumulated w ithin a n e arlier s tage o f a n p eriod. F inally

o ospores

o f

C hara w ere n oted

s uggest

t he p ermanent

p art o f s ample.

t he s tream c hannel.

4 .3.8

a re

l east

i n f our

s amples.

0 .5m d eep w ater

A f ish t ooth w as n oted

T hese i n

t his

i n t he u ppermost

P alaeo-environmental I nterpretation T he r esults o f t he r e-excavation o f t he M agdalen C ollege s ite e ntirely c onsistent w ith t he d escription g iven b y S andford

( 1924). g ravels g ravels m ent.

p resence o f a t

o f

i nterglacial

O n t he b asis o f

t he s edimentological

e vidence,

t he t errace

a t t his s ite a ppear t o c onsist o f t wo u nits. T he l ower a ppear t o r epresent d eposition i n a b raided r iver e nvironT hese

a re

o verlain b y g ravels, 8 9

s ilts

a nd

s ands

( Eynsham

g ravel)

d eposited

i n am eandering

s tream

s ystem.

T he

p ollen

a nd

m olluscan s tudies f rom t he f ossiliferous s ilts s upport t his v iew, a nd f urther i ndicate t hat t he d eposition o f t he m eandering r iver d eposits w ere

l aid d own i n a w arm-stage c limate.

4 .4

T HE S TANTON HARCOURT G RAVEL A T S TANTON HARCOURT T he

i nterpretations

o f

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace

u nderlying g ravels b y S andford

( 1924),

a ll

o f g ravels

i dentified

H arcourt

a

g ravel)

l ower

w hich w ere a ssociated

s tage e nvironment. t welve f ord

( 1946)

( here

a nd

a nd A rkell

c alled

t he

t he w arm-stage E ynsham g ravel

a

a t

i ts

( 1947) S tanton

w ith d eposition i n

T hese l ower g ravels w ere r ecognised

s ites a t w hich

1 924).

s et

D ines

c old-

t he

o ccurred

s ame ( Sand-

T hey w ere c haracterised b y t he o ccurrence o f v ertebrate

r emains

i ncluding M ammuthus p rimigenius,

( Table

9 ).

c losed

a nd

M ost

o f

i nfilled,

a t a n umber o f

a nd

C oelodonta a ntiquitatis

t he p its d escribed b y e arly

w orkers

a lthough h alf-overgrown p its

c an s till

l ocations - n otably E ynsham,

m ore w idely a round S tanton Harcourt.

n orth o f

N one o f

a re

n ow

b e

s een

C assington,

a nd

e xposures

n ow

t he o ld

y ield b iogenic m aterials. T he m ost i nformative s ections c urrently a vailable a re t he w orking p its a t L inch H ill, 1 -2km s outh w est o f S tanton Harcourt o n

( SP 4 104).

a v ery l arge s cale

a re n ow a vailable

G ravel

s ince

e xtraction h ere h as

t he 1 960s

f or s tudy.

T he

S ummertown-Radley s loping

m argins, 2 3).

t o

b ench,

t udinally O xford

l ower

t his

E xposures ( 1976).

i s

T errace

w ere

T o

l ess d istinct d eposits

0 .D.

e xist

o ver t he

a s

1 .

a l ower, a n u pper,

T he t wo u nits a re z one o f c ryoturbation, c lay-loam h ead

o f

s hown i n

c ut

b y B riggs

1 8,

S tanton

t errace g rgvels

( 1973;

b y B riggs,

1 976b)

C oope

i nvestigated

a re d etectable

i nto

S tanton H ar-

F ig.

t he

a lti-

t he Har-

R adley

h igher W olvercote T errace.

i n

a t

S tanton

a nd G ilbertson

a nd G ilbertson

b y B ryant

t o

a

( 1983).

t hese e xposures:-

r elatively c oarse g ravel g enerally f iner-grained

b ed

u p

t o 1 .5m t hick;

g ravel.

s eparated b y a d istinct a nd a lmost c ontinuous a nd t he u pper g ravel i s o verlain b y a b lanket

( Fig.

A lthough i t m ight

( Fig.

f rom t he

b luff

a

o uter

b etween t he S ummertown

t he S ummertown-Radley

u nits

f orms

i ts

t he v alley s ide

s eparated

u p a gainst

i n

a nd

a t

n orth-west

t he o lder a nd

f irst d escribed

2 .

t he

a nd,

t hose o f

T wo m ajor g ravel

r ecorded

i s

a nd

a re b anked

T hey w ere d emonstrated

t he u nits

i t

a nd

Q RA F ield E xcursion i n 1 979,

t o

f ace

p icture o f

S tanton Harcourt

r ises a gainst

t he w est

S imilar c ontacts

T errace g ravels

H arcourt

i t

o uter margin,

2 4).

f eature

g ravel.

w here

i ts

a t

f rom a bout 7 0m

F loodplain T errace b y a n e rosional

C lay ( Fig.

F loodplain

o f

t hree-dimensional

t errace f lat

r anging

7 5m O .D.

A long m uch o f

c ourt

p lace

S tratigraphy a nd S edimentology

g ently

c ourt

t aken

o ver 8 km o f w orking

T hese e xposures h ave b een r ecorded

t he p ast t en y ears, a nd a d etailed t errace g ravels e stablished. 4 .4.1

a nd

2 5). b e

r ecognised

f elt

t hat

t hese

b y e arly w orkers,

i nterglacial

f auna

i n

t wo g ravel t he

t he u pper

90

b eds

p resent g ravel

c orrespond

s tudy h as a t

n ot

S tanton

•

•

• . 1 1 •0

H anbo rough T er race • • • • •

•

. F igure 2 3.

D istribution o f a round

.. .r t. ..

. . .. .

F loodp la in T e rrace

: •• 7 5m C on tour

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace i n t he a rea

S tanton H arcourt.

- C ryo turbat ion

He igh t 0 D Cm )

SU M MERTO WN-RADLEY T ERRACE COVER

7 0—

V

V

L OA M ;• : . ' , j -

PPER GRAVELS

V — __ V

7 _ -

S umme r town

R ad ley •T errace

/

-

/

I ce- wedge . . as ts

H Boreholes

V

GI

. . __ __ , -

STA NTON HARCOURT

6 5—

—

' BASAL GRAVELS

/ /

' ' -

V

—

V

BASAL SANDS /

/

CHAN NEL

6 0 —

o t

500 t

i t metres

I

F igure 2 4.

HORIZONTAL SCALE

G eneralised T errace a nd

c rass s ection t hrough t he S ummertown - R adley F loodplain T errace n ear S tanton Harcourt.

9 1

H arcourt

a nd,

a s w ill b e

i ndicated b elow,

b oth g ravel b eds

s eem

t o

r elate t o a ggradation i n c old, p eriglacial c onditions. T hus, t here i s n o e vidence i n t he p resent e xposures o f t he i nterglacial d eposits r ecorded b y S andford a nd o thers e arlier t his c entury, a nd t he s its c an a ll b e a ttributed t o t he S tanton H arcourt g ravel. T here l ocally

a re,

o n t he o ther h and,

d eveloped

i n t he t errace.

d epo-

t wo a dditional u nits w hich T he f irst c onsists o f

a

a re

b road,

s hallow c hannel c ut i nto t he u nderlying O xford C lay a nd i nfilled w ith g ravels, s ands s ilts a nd o rganic m aterial. I t i ncludes a bundant r emains o f M ollusca, I nsecta a nd v ertebrates, t ogether w ith w ood a nd p lant m aterial. I t i s r eferred t o a s t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel a nd, o n t he b asis o f i ts b iogenic m aterial, g lacial a ffinity ( Briggs a nd G ilbertson 1 980).

i s c learly

o f

i nter-

E lsewhere a t t he b ase o f t he t errace t here o ccurs a s eries o f s ands a nd s ilts, o ften r ipple-bedded o r l aminated, a nd f illing s hall ow d epressions i n t he O xford C lay s urface. O ccasionally, t he s ilts c ontain p lant f ragments b ut m olluscs a re r are, r emains h ave b een f ound.

2 5.

a nd

n o

v ertebrate

T he g eneralised s equence a t S tanton H arcourt i s s hown T he m ain u nits, n umbered f rom t he b ase, a re a s f ollows:

i n

F ig.

N W

SE

I nterg lac ia l c hanne l OXFORD CLAY

B asa l s and ( un it I )

Weathered Oxfo rd C lay

F igure 2 5

B asa l g rave l ( un it II

Upper g rave l ( un it )

1

1 Cover l oa m ( un it 1 3 Z)

1

4 Z

C ryo tu rba t ion

u I ce wedge v c asts

G eneralised s tratigraphy o f t he S ummertown-Radley T errace a nd F loodplain T errace n ear S tanton H arcourt.

9 2

U nit

I V.

C over l oam: r ed-brown ( 5YR 4 /3) c lay l oam o r s andy c lay l oam ; u nbedded; c ontaining q uartz, q uartzite a nd w eathered l imestone p ebbles; l ocally s howing e vidence o f c lay e nrichment a t t he b ase a nd o ccasionally l et d own i nto t he u nderlying g ravels.

U nit I II.

U pper g ravels: l ow

m edium-coarse

c ross-bedding;

s andy g ravel;

p lane o r

l ocally c ontaining l enses o f

s hal-

s ilt

o r

s and w ith m olluscan f aunas; f estooned a t t he t op ( upper c ryoturbation l ayer) a nd d issected b y i ntra-formational a nd

U nit

I I.

p ost-formational

i ce-wedge c asts.

B asal g ravels:

c oarse-medium s andy g ravel;

o ften r ubbly

a nd r oughly b edded; l ocally o pen f abric g ravel, o r s hallow c ross-bedding; s and l enses a nd s ilt b eds, o ccasionally c ontaining m olluscan f aunas; d issected b y i ce-wedge c asts o pening c asts;

o ut i n U nit I II a nd, r arely, i ntra-formational f estooned a nd ' dirty a t t he t op ( lower c ryoturba-

t ion l ayer). U nit

I .

B asal

s ands:

u nbedded,

c ross-bedded

o r r ipple-bedded

s ands

a nd l aminated s ilts, l ocally c ontaining p lant f ragments a nd n on-marine M ollusca, f illing s hallow d epressions i n t he O xford C lay ( Jurassic). U nit

O .

S tanton H arcourt C hannel: g ravels, s ands, s ilts, c lays a nd o rganic s ilts f illing b road ( 60m) c hannel c ut i nto O xford C lay; a bundant v ertebrate r emains, M ollusca, I nsecta, p lant

f ragments a nd w ood.

A f ull d iscussion o f t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel ( Unit 0 ) p resented i n t he n ext c hapter. S uffice i t t o n ote h ere t hat c hannel

s ediments r epresent d eposition b y a b road,

u nder i nterglacial c onditions. o n t he o verlying d eposits. i . T he

U nit I . u nit

A ttention i s

m eandering

f ocused

i s t he

s tream

i n t his c hapter

T he B asal S ands

r eferred

t o a s

t he b asal

s ands i s

c onfined

t o

t he

s outhern l imits o f t he t errace a t S tanton H arcourt, w here i t f ills b road, s hallow b asins i n t he O xford C lay ( Fig. 2 6). T he m ain b asin i s a bout 2 50m f rom e ast t o w est a nd 1 50m n orth t o s outh, w ith a maximum d epth o f a bout 2 m. W ithin t his b asin t he d eposits i nclude n ot o nly s ands, b ut a lso l aminated a nd r ipple-bedded s ilts a nd c oarse l enses a nd s trings o f g ravel. N otably, b eyond t he b asin, t he s urface o f t he O xford C lay i s w eathered t o a d epth o f 2 0-30cm, b ut b eneath t he b asal s ands n o w eathering i s s een, t hough a bundant G ryphaea a nd b locks o f m udstone a re f ound i n t he s ands, i ndicating i ncorporation o f m aterial

f rom

t he O xford C lay.

T he s ands a nd s ilts w hich f ill t he b asin s how a p rogressive r eduction i n p article s ize t owards t he n orth-east, a nd w ithin t he s ands t he c ross-bedding d isplays a d ominantly n orth-eastward o rientat ion. T hus t he u nit s eems t o r epresent t he i nfilling o f w hat w as p ossibly a f loodplain b asin b y o verbank f low f rom a c hannel t o t he s outh o r w est. D eposition m ust h ave b een o nly s poradic a nd m ust h ave o ccurred

o ver

a c onsiderable p eriod o f

9 3

t ime,

f or

t he s ilts

i nclude

••

• •

S tanton Harcourt

Cut

_

• • • •

s urface

..

0 00 00 0

t he

0 00

A . T ransect t hrough c entre o f b as in

0

c o —

00 00

0 0 00 0

I 1 f ,

I I

II I

II

o e , 01 .

B . T ransect t hrough N W marg in o f b as in

00

Q

000

0 o

o

0 0

—

0o f i 0 II I II I II

x 0

II II I I I II

e

I II II I

C • 1 -

C O

I

I

• •

II I I L J

0

9 4

>

9 5

S andy g rave l

I nvo lut ions

I ce wedge c as ts

Genera l ised b edd ing

i ntensively s mall

o xidised

f ragments, i i.

U nit

T he

I I.

b asal

t ions.

T hey

h orizons

i ndicating

F or

l ocally c ontain r oot s oil

g ravels m ark a m ajor c hange i n

c onsist

t he m ost e vidence

c hannels

a nd

f ormation.

T he b asal g ravels

o f

s andy g ravels,

w hich a re r oughly b edded, b ated ( Fig. 2 7).

l ittle

a nd

p hases o f

p art

p oorly i mbricated,

a nd,

a nd

t he d eposits a re c rudely

o f g rading

i mbrication i s w eak,

d epositional

g ravels

a nd

w ith v ector

o nly r are

c ondi-

r arely,

s ands

i ntensely c ryotur-

p lane-bedded,

c ross-bedding.

w ith

P article

s trengths b etween a bout 2 0% a nd 3 3%,

a nd v ector o rientations r anging f rom 1 0° t o 1 70 ° ( Fig. 2 8). P article s ize i s c oarse a nd p oorly s orted, w ith m ean s izes o f a bout 2.0 ( i , ( c. 4 mm)

a nd

t here

i s n o

s orting v alues b etween 1 .2 a nd c lear b reak i n p article

g ravels c ontaining a nd

t he n ear

1 .5

( Table

a n i nterstitial c omponent o f

p hi-normality o f

1 5).

s ize d istributions

M oreover,

a s

f ound

w ith

i nfiltration m aterial

t he s ize d istributions

i mplies

t hat

t he

s andy g ravel w as d eposited e n masse, r ather t han b eing f ormed b y m ixing o f d ifferent m aterials ( e.g. b y c ryoturbation). P article s ize d istributions T hese

a re

i ndicated

i n F ig.

2 9.

c haracteristics m ay b e a ssociated

w ith a ccumulation o f

t he

g ravels c lose t o t he c onfluence o f t he T hames a nd i ts t ributary t he W indrush. T he s teeper g radient o f t he W indrush i s a ssociated w ith t errace

d eposits

markedly c oarser

t han t hose i n

t he

T hames.

T he

l ower g ravels m ay t hus r eflect t he a ccumulation o f m aterial c arried f rom t he W indrush v alley t o a c onfluence w hich a t t he t ime l ay i n t he L inch H ill A s

n oted

b ated, T he

a rea.

w ith

s urface o f

T he

g ravels

o riented, u pthrust

p reviously, n umerous,

t he g ravels

a re ' dirty

a nd i n

t he l ower g ravels

i nvoluted

l ayers

i s a lso m arked

a nd

i nvoluted,

l ocally t he m aterial t he manner o f

S ignificantly,

t his

l ayer

a nd

c ryotur-

i ce-wedge

c asts.

c ryoturbation.

m any p ebbles a re

a ppears

t raced

i ntensely

b y d istinct

s tone p olygons c an b e

a re

s mall

v ertically

t o h ave b een s orted

( e.g.

a t A i n

t hroughout

a nd

F ig.

2 7).

t he w orking

s ec-

t ion i n D ix's P it a t L inch H ill, b eing a bsent o nly w here i t h as b een c ut b y c hannels f rom t he o verlying g ravels, o r b y i ce-wedge c asts. I n a ddition, i n

a ll

t he

l ocally

a s imilar l ayer c an b e s urrounding g ravel

e xtensive

a nd

p its,

i dentified i ndicating

c ontinuous c ryturbation

a t a c omparable t hat

i t

l evel

r epresents

s urface

w ithin

a

t he

t errace. D espite n ecessary r egional ( 1969) t heir

t o

t he w idespread s ee

c hange

i n

t his

d istribution o f

t his h orizon,

p hase o f c ryoturbation a s

e nvironmental

c onditions.

e vidence

A s W illiams

i t

i s n ot o f

a nd

a ny R ust

h ave s hown, b raided r ivers f requently d isplay m ajor s hifts i n c ourse w hich l eave l arge t racts o f o nce-active b ar s urfaces

a bandoned. I n g eneral, t he c haracter o f t he b asal g ravels i s c onsis t ent w ith d eposition i n a b raided s tream s ystem, a nd t he f ormation o f t he c ryoturbation s urface m ay b e e nvisaged a s a r esult o f a s hift i n t he a rea. u pper

c onfluence o f

t he W indrush w estwards,

a way

f rom

t he L inch

H ill

A s n oted b elow, t he s edimentological p roperties o f t he l ater, g ravels a re c onsistent w ith d eposition b y a n e ast-ward-flowing

p roto-Thames. 9 6

2 a

2b 3 3 .4%

2 c

UN IT 3 : FORESET ORIENTAT I ON

3 a

3b

3 c( i )

3 c( i i)

F igure 2 8.

P article

i mbrication a nd

S tanton Harcourt G ravel 9 7

f oreset a t

o rientation

S tanton Harcourt.

i n t he

T able 1 5

S edimentology o f t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel a t S tanton H arcourt

S AMPLE

S IZE ( $)

S HAPE S phericity 1

F latness 2

S o

S k

1.78 1.65 1.89 1.29 2.03 2.48 1.32 2.18

1 .80 1 .91 1 .79 2 .23 1 .88 1 .51 0 .96 1 .25

0 .35 0 .27 0 .34 0 .30 0 .32 0 .62 0 .29 0 .08

0 .60 0 .62 0 .62 0 .63 0 .62 0 .62 0 .58 0 .56

2 .75 2 .69 2 .78 2 .52 2 .52 2 .43 2 .81 2 .90

0 .85

2 .01

0 .16

0 .60

2 .74

2.29

1 .79

0 .34

0 .60

2 .75

5 .23 4 .33 4 .95

1 .39 1 .11 1 .00

0 .14 0 .39 0 .56

-

R oundness 3

U pper g ravels: P lane-bedded P lane-bedded P lane-bedded P lane-bedded P lane-bedded P lane-bedded C hannel x -set F oreset

0 .43 0 .35 0 .37

L ower g ravels: P lane-bedded

C ryoturbation l ayer

B asal s ands: G rey s ilt S and Y ellow s ilt

1 . 2 . 3 .

K rumbein's s phericity; C ailleux f latness; P owers' r oundness.

i ii.

U nits I II a nd I V.

T he u pper g ravels a nd c over l oam

I n c ontrast t o t he l ower u nit, t he u pper t errace g ravels ( unit 3 ) c onsist o f w ell-bedded a nd w ell-sorted g ravels a nd s andy g ravels c ontaining l enses o f s ilt a nd s and ( Fig. 2 7 P late 2 ). F or t he m ost p art t he g ravels a re p lane-bedded, b ut l ocally t abular c ross-bedded s ets o ccur a nd n umerous c hannel i nfills a re s een . I mbrication i n t he p lane-bedded g ravels i s s trong, w ith v ector o rientations b etween 9 0° a nd 1 50 ° , a nd w ith v ector s trengths o f 4 5-77% ( Fig. 2 8). T his i mbric ation p attern i s m atched b y t he f oreset o rientation w ithin t he c ross-bedded g ravels, a nd t ogether t hey i ndicate s tream f low d omin antly f rom t he w est. T he d egree o f v ariation i n t he v ector o rientat ions i s c onsistent w ith a ccumulation o n a b raided s tream f loodplain, w ithin w hich a s mall d egree o f l ocal v ariability i s p roduced b y 9 8

f low

9 5 1 9 0-

%

COARSER

8 07 06 05 0403 02 01 05 -

-5

-4

4 PHI

F igure 2 9.

5

6

7

8

9

S IZE

P article s ize d istributions i n t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel a t S tanton H arcourt.

a round a nd o ver b ars, b ut i n w hich o verall c hannel ( e.g. R ust 1 972b; M iall 1 977).

s inuosity i s

l ow

T he c hannels f ound w ithin U nit I II v ary i n w idth f rom 1 -2m t o 9 1 0 , a nd i n d epth f rom a bout 0 .5m t o 2 .0m . I nfilling o f t hese c hann els a ppears t o h ave b een b y t wo p rocesses. I n s ome c ases i t h as b een b y l ateral a ccretion o f p oint b ar d eposits.

W here s uch

a ccre-

t ion h as b een a ccompanied b y a n o verall r eduction i n f low v elocity, t he c hannels, t hough o ccasionally r e-excavated, h ave g radually b een i nfilled u ntil l evel w ith t he a djacent b ar s urface. F inal i nfilling i s o ften b y s till-water d eposition o f s ands a nd s ilts, a nd t he c hann els a re s ubsequently c overed b y p lane-bedded g ravels. I n o ther c ases, b ar-front c hannels h ave b een i nfilled b y b ar e ncroachment. G ravels a nd, d uring p eriods o f l ower f low, s ands c arried a cross t he b ar s urface h ave a ccumulated a s d eltaic c ross-sets o n t he c hannel f lank. E ach c ross-bedded s et i s g enerally g raded, s howing t he e ffect o f v ariations i n d ischarge. M oreover w ithin t he c oarser, g ravel u nits a valanching h as o ften o ccurred, o f c oarse, o pen-fabric t oeset g ravels. A s

t his d iscussion i ndicates,

r esulting

i n t he a ccumulation

t he u pper g ravels a ppear t o

h ave

a ccumulated i n a b raided s tream e nvironment, a n i nterpretation i n b road a greement w ith t he c onclusions d rawn b y B ryant ( 1983). F urther i ndications o f t he e nvironment a re, h owever, p rovided b y t he e xtens ive p eriglacial s tructures f ound w ithin t hese g ravels. L ocal, d isc ontinuous

c ryoturbation

i s

f ound

a t

9 9

a lmost

a ll

l evels

a nd

t he

1 1 0

g ravels a re c apped b y a 1 .0e-1.5m c ryoturbated

l ayer w hilst

c asts, a nd i nfilled i ce- o r d esiccation-cracks, t he g ravel b ody a nd o pening o ut a t t he s urface. I ce-wedge c asts a re p articularly n umerous. f rom s mall,

b road V -shaped

f eatures

i ce-wedge

a re f ound b oth w ithin

T hey r ange i n

t o l ong a nd

t hin c racks,

f orm a nd

t o

l arge, s teep-sided s tructures. I n m any i nstances t hese f eatures a re i n c lose a ssociation, o ne s uper-imposed u pon t he o ther a s t hough r epeated i ce-wedge f ormation t ook t hroughout t he p eriod o f a ggradation.

p lace a t s pecific l ocalities M any o f t he c asts o riginate a t

t he s urface o f t he g ravels a nd c learly p ost-date b oth a ggradation a nd t rimming o f t he t errace d eposits, b ut o thers a re i ntra-formational c asts, e ither b eing t runcated a nd b uried b y t he g ravels o r o pening o ut w ithin t he b ody o f t he t errace ( Fig. 3 0). S everal o f t he f eatures a lso p enetrate t he O xford C lay a nd c an b e t raced l aterally f or s everal

t ens o f m etres.

A .

B . 0

. "— b\o

0

,

e o °

p

0

e

21 . 2 . 0

0

o 0

°0

0

o

0

0

0 C O

0 0 0

0

0

0

-\/

o 0

— •

00 0

' 0 1 4 '

.

o

°

0

( -; -;;°

x mcm

„00

a z

o

y 00

. 0

o o

a

o

0

0

:

0

0

0

;

% %

0

0 0 z w7.7 . . .„

.

,

o .0

-

t

0

%

-0

pa

0

° •

/ ((

0

• • • • • • • •_ ____

0 0 o

A

o

°

/

°

% % I ji° % / 0.0

t ' / -N -

* °

0

°

0

0

0

c m cc

0

0

0

0

o

0

` "

0

\ .

Q

, /( L

C .

D .

" • • • . "

c0

••

0

• • ••

, )

. • • • •- -

o c

0 c o

o

• •.

0

o n

a —

°

.0 , 2 . 0%

. I

0

02

L p

0

0 0 --

00

C . 0 0

I

0 :

0

p

0

0

00 0

I

0

0 .

I

1 « >« : ,

°

0

O

-

*

00

4

• 0

•

0

0 Ö

0

0

-c ;

›

°0

0 ° 0

\

% I

-

C

‘ 2-9

,

V I

' 0

00 0

a

o ,

‘ , a

0

c

oo *b

QI -2. -°0 .

0 0

I -. -

•

b

C -3 -, 0 o e ,

0

•• • •

%

0 O

0

. 0

o

o .j .

0

c o0

•

a;

I

o 0

o' N

o

\ ` ‘ /

o

0 0

• ••

0

0

" °' I

1 6 : A. e . 0?

'

"

'

:V ': %

0/

\

F igure 3 0 .

F orms a t

o f

i ce-wedge c ast

S tanton H arcourt.

1 00

i n t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel

C '

A t

t heir m argins

t he p ebbles

c ommonly s how a d istinct

v ertical

a lignment, b ut t he a djacent b eds may b e e ither u pturned o r d ownt urned, a nd t he m aterials f illing t he c asts s how a c onsiderable v ariety

o f

c haracter.

i ll-sorted, r ich c asts, h owever, a nd

a ppear

I n m any c ases,

t o h ave b een d ownthrown,

f rom t heir o riginal p osition. s everal p hases o f a ctivity m ust w ith

t he

w edges

i nfill b eing

o r

t he m aterial

a t

t he b ase

c racks

i tself

( e.g.

a s

a c onsistent u nit,

I n a f ew i nstances h ave o ccurred d uring

s plit b y t he d evelopment

a a nd

c i n F ig.

3 0).

u p

t o 5 0cm

i t s eems t hat t heir f ormation, o f

n ew

I n o ther

t errace b ody ( e.g. c asts

b i n F ig.

3 0).

A dditionally,

a re a ften s uperimposed

a s

i ce-

c ases

a ppears t hat t he i ce-wedges e xtended u pwards i nto o verlying f or i ndividual c asts o pen o ut a t s everal d iscrete l ayers i ce-wedge

T he

d etailed F or

g enesis

t he m ost

p art

o f

t hese

a lready n oted,

o ne a bove t he

f eatures

t hey a ppear

p oses

i t

g ravels i n t he

o ther,

w hilst

i ce- o r d esiccation c racks a lso o ccur i n c lose a ssociation w ith l arger c asts ( b a nd d i n F ig. 3 0).

l ems.

i s

i n f ines a nd h ighly d eformed. N earer t he t op o f t he t he s ediments o ften p reserve t heir o riginal b edding

a n umber o f

t o h ave b een f ormed

t he

p rob-

i n r esponse

t o t he d evelopment o f b uried i ce-wedges i n a reas o f r elative s tabil ity w ithin t he a ctively a ggrading f loodplain. I ncremental a ccretion o f i ce m ay h ave a llowed t he d ownward e xtension o f t he w edge l ower g ravels a nd O xford C lay a nd l ed t o d istortion o f t he

i nto t he a djacent

b edding.

s eems

S imilarly,

h ave o ccurred w edge c asts.

v ertical

a ccretion o f

t he i ce-wedge

h owever, d ation,

may w ell h ave v aried t hroughout t he p eriod o f a nd a ccording t o l ocal f loodplain c onditions.

i t

t hat

s eems

i nto

t he

s urface

t o

i n s ome i nstances, i n t he m anner o f s yngenetic i ceT he h istory o f m elting a nd i nfilling o f t he c asts,

p artial m elting a nd

c avity h ad m aterial

o ccurred

a nd

c ollapse o f

t errace a ggraI n m any c ases

t he a ctive g round

b efore s tream a ction t rimmed

l aid d own g ravels

a bove t he

l ayer

o ff

d eveloping

t he c ast.

S ubsequently, f urther m elting a nd s ettling l ed t o t he g radual l oweri ng o f t hese o verlying g ravels i nto t he c ast, g iving a b asal p lug o f d isturbed,

r ubbly

m aterial

a nd

a n u pper

f ill

o f

b edded

g ravel

a nd

s and. U ltimately, t he c ast w as b uried b y f urther t errace s ediments. I n o ther c ases, b urial p robably o ccurred b efore m elting o f t he i cew edge;

w hen melting d id

l apsed

t o

A s p lace

f ill

t he c ast

a lready n oted, i n s everal

t hough s everal

o ccur

( e.g.

t he o verlying g ravels g radually

d i n F ig.

r epeated w edge-formation a ppears

l ocalities.

c ol-

3 0).

T he r easons

f or

t his

a re

p ossible e xplanations m ay b e s uggested.

i s f easible t hat d isruption o f t he p ermafrost l ines o f w eakness a long w hich s ubsequent

t o h ave n ot

t aken c lear,

F irstly,

i t

b y i ce-wedges p rovided w edge-formation w as

e ncouraged. S econdly, c ollapse o f t he o verlying m aterial i nto t he i ce-wedge c avity ( and i ndeed t he p resence o f a r ampart a nd d epression a bove

t he w edge),

a reas.

T hirdly,

m ay h ave e ncouraged

a fter melting,

t he

w ater

l ooser

t o a ccumulate

i nfill

o f

i n

t he c ast

t hese a nd

t he

t endency t o v ertical a lignment o f t he g ravels w ithin t he c ast m ight h ave r esulted i n p referential i nfiltration o f w ater a t t hese p oints, w ith

t he

c onsequent

r eactivation o f

i ce-wedge c asts

a s

t he

g ravels

a ccumulated. I t o ut

r emains

u nclear w hether

I nterruption t hroughout

w hether

p eriods

o f

p ermafrost

t he p eriod

i ce-wedge

o f

c onditions t errace

f ormation a lternated

1 01

c ontinued w itha ggradation,

w ith

p eriods

o r o f

m elting.

E ither

p receding

c ircumstance

a rguments

i s

r egarding

c ompatible w ith a t t he h istory o f

l east

s ome o f

i ce-wedge c ast

t he

f orma -

t ion. O n t he b asis o f t he m olluscan e vidence p resented b elow, t here i s r eason t o b elieve t hat p ermafrost m ay n ot h ave b een c ontinuous. S imilarly, t he i ndications s upplied l ing a nd w edge-formation i mplies a t

b y s ome c asts o f r epeated i nfill east s hort p eriods o f r elative

w armth d uring

N evertheless

p ermafrost

t errace a ggradation.

c onditions m ust

i ce-wedges

u p

h as

t hat

n oted

h ave p ersisted

t o 2 m i n d iameter a ctive

a nd 5 m i n d epth t o

e ven l ower d uring m uch o f t hese

i s

a pparent

p eriods f orm.

t o

i n c oarse g ravels s eems l ikely t hat

t he p eriod

o f

t hat a llow

P ewe

( 1966)

i ce-wedges a re f ound m ainly w here m ean

t emperatures a re b elow 6 °C , a nd t he S ummertown-Radley T errace i t

C ertainly

i t

f or l ong

a nnual

s uch a s t hose o f t emperatures w ere

a ggradation.

p eriglacial c onditions

r ecurred

a fter

t errace

a ggradation h ad c eased, f or c ryoturbation h as a ffected t he s urface o f t he u pper g ravels a nd i ce-wedge c asts a nd c racks p enetrate t his d isturbed l ayer i nto t he u nderlying g ravels ( Fig. 2 8). c antly, a lthough t he t errace s urface a t S tanton H arcourt a bout

l m f rom n orth

r emains

t o

c onstant.

s outh,

T hus

i t

t he

t hickness

s eems

t hat

o f

S ignifif alls b y

t he c ryoturbated

g lacial a ctivity o ccurred a fter t he t errace h ad b een t rimmed p resent g eneral f orm. T he f inal u nit ( the c over-loam) s eems b een

l aid

d own s ubsequently,

p ost-formational m ade

o f

c ombined w hich

t he c over-loam, e ffects

m ust

f or

i t

i ce-wedge c asts. b ut

i t

r arely i ncorporated

D etailed

s eems

o f w eathering,

h ave o perated

i s

l ayer

t his p ost-depositional

l ikely

t o i ts t o h ave

i nto

a nalyses h ave n ot t hat

i t

s olifluction a nd

i n t he a rea s ince

p eri-

r epresents

a eolian

f ormation o f

t he b een t he

a ctivity

t he

S ummer-

t own-Radley T errace. 4 .4.2

N on m arine M ollusca N on-marine M ollusca w ere c ollected

f rom

t hirteen s amples

t he S tanton Harcourt g ravel ( Table 1 6). S amples S HG f rom o rganic s ilts w ithin t he b asal s ands ( Unit I ), S HG 3 , 4 , ( Unit 2 ). g ravels

w ithin

1 a nd S HG 2 w ere w hilst s amples

5 a nd 6 w ere f rom s and l enses w ithin t he b asal g ravels A ll o ther s amples w ere f rom s ilt l enses w ithin t he u pper

( Fig.

3 1).

B ecause

t hey h ave b een c ollected

a t

d ifferent

t imes f rom w idely d ifferent l ocations t hey c annot b e a ssigned w ith a ny c ertainty t o a s equence w ithin t hese g ravels, b ut s amples a re a rranged i .

( tentatively)

i n a n a ssumed

s tratigraphic

o rder

i n T able 1 6.

A nalysis T he

n est

o f

w ith

t he

s amples s ieves. a id

o f

w ere a ir-dried

a l ow-powered

f ollows K erney ( 1976), w as c ounted d uals w ere

a nd

w ashed

T he m olluscan r emains w ere s tereo-zoom

a nd W alden

a s o ne i ndividual. i dentified i n t his

T he l arge n umber o f d amaged p roblems o f i dentification.

( 1976).

t hrough a l mm a nd s eparated

m icroscope.

a nd

0 .5mm

i dentified

N omenclature

E very a pex o r v alve h inge

E ight h undred a nd s tudy a nd r eferred

n inety t wo i ndivit o f ourteen t axa.

s hells a nd/or j uveniles f ound I n g eneral t he s ame c autionary

c aused n otes

e xpressed i n p revious s tudies o f Q uaternary g ravel t errace m olluscan f aunas f rom t he T hames a nd S evern b asins a pply h ere ( Briggs a nd G ilbertson 1 973a,b; B riggs e t a l. 1 975b; G ilbertson 1 976; G ilberts on a nd H awkins 1 978). Juveniles o f G yraulus l aevis a re n ot r eadily d istinguishable

f rom

t hose o f A nisus

l eucostoma. 10 2

M any o f

t he

a dults

4 < H

. 4 vl , 1 r 4

0 E 4

U PPER G RAVELS

C r ) . 1 C . , = V )

ti p — if

C 4 + 4 C . D = V )

r 4 r 4

r 4 , 4 ( . , = G / 3

I ( V

0 , i 0 = C l )

%D i

ON 0 = c n

1 1

00 C . D = C / 3

r 0

CM r, r 4 L A C y " ) CV C • 1

, 1

I

I , +

I

I

I

I

r q r, ol CA 40 cn N. f 1 C c)

1 to l l 4 -

1

!

I

VI . . e

0 o

' 1 It

0 c n

I

I

r -

Ln

I

I

I

I

I

CO 40 + 4 , 4

S

I . 4 OD

I

I

1

1

4 I 1

v I 0 CV r I

1 1 c3\ 1 r i

1

, 4 40

1

I

I 1,4 e . •

, ..

i

1

C p c. i l r 4 r I

I l i4 1

I , i r-) . 1 c . . . cn

1

I I

1

I

I I

1

1

1

1 1

1

1

I r e 1 mD 1 *1 c r %

r • • • C r ) r 4

0 C r l % C I r 4

u z i C r ,

I

I

I

C r , 0 r I

I

I

I CV

C r )

1

I

I

00 C N I

, . 0

I N.

. i co

I I

I

I i 4

L (-1 L ) .7 .

I -e

1 ,i i4 I

c n C D = c n

B ASAL S ANDS

!

CV 0 = c n

c e )

I

I

I

1

1

I + 4

I ‘ .0

c v

0 1 i 4 , i

c \ I C c)

. 4

1

I

I

1

I

I

i l f . 4 1

I r 1

, I

0 i 1

Cr )

r I r 1

Co CV VD C4

0 in ( N I ( N I

o 0

I

Ul cv

I

, . I

I * 4

. .1 s . 4 W , 1 " . . . . r 1 S 1 := 4 1 . ) z , i . .. i 1 . : c n Z . , . . 1 % . . ., t 1 C O C O Z S 4 • r 4 0 0 U C I ) U ) S 4 . 4 4 O . ) 0 + 0 + C U 4 . ) C O

C Z / c u c e

r -I 0 C O

cA . t c. . ) % .o

I

00 CI l f ) v I

I I

. .1 ) 4 • • • a ) 4 . ) , . ( ( 0 v 4 r i , • •• : . ' . Z r i 5 4 Z ., ' 0 1 . .. Z . . .., -i « I , 1 C O , . . . , C E 4 J 0 U ) C O J • , 1 U > C a ) Z ci CO 5 4 4 S U ) C I S Z a ) c n i 1 C O 5 • , -I

51

I

, . • • • • z n r 1 e 1 4 . 1 C O • * 4 >

N

1 . c • I

U ) Z

U

1

1 i 1

4 I r

-e

0%

I

I r 4

CV

I

0 r 4

N . 4 w v i c o c o C O 5 c a U ) 0 t :

C ▪ r)

a )

0 4 ) . . . c o. 0i I . . . . . , 5 . 1 t o C O

a )

4 4 C . )

• r 4 P 4 4 4 4 4 1 4 4 4 1

4 4

cv

a d

C O 0 o r i › , x 0

, . . . . . -

c o C O N . + a ) c . ) 0 1 4 0 . 1

n

1 03

o . 1 . 00 , . . . . . '

P isidium

. . 10 = c n

I 1 1

P isidium

LA C . 7 = c n

1

B ASAL G RAVELS

C l )

a < E 4 0 H

s ample w eight

0

› ,

5 4 Z 1

CUT

o -

„ 1

&

, 7 , 24

0

1-

, _ , . . ,% z 0 . .

-. , .

« , ..

0

SURFACE

' \ '

90 0

P O

F ESTOONED GRAVEL

ü

o

0

e a

. .

.

....

•

F ERRUG INOUS

2 -

X -B EDDED • „. : 0

3

«Z› . 0 O

. 4 '

GRAVEL

.

C 2 . . .. _ . .

P LANE BEDDED

• A lb 0

M. . • .• •0 . 0 0

•

GRAVEL

C = o

4 S ILT

SAND 5m

_ CRYOT URB ATED GRAVEL

. 1>

SLU MPED

F igure 3 1.

S ample s ites

f or

Harcourt G ravel

o f

P upilla

m uscorum a re o f

n on-marine M ollusca i n t he S tanton a t

S tanton Harcourt.

t he t aller f orm

r ecognised

i n

s everal

D evensian d eposits i n S outhern E ngland d escribed b y K erney ( 1963) a nd K erney e t a l. ( 1964). T he s hells o f D eroceras s pp. c annot b e a ttributed t o s pecies l evel w ith c ertainty, b ut a re o f t he f orm a ttributed i i.

t o D .

a greste i n Q uick ( 1960).

C limate I n g eneral,

m uch

i n

t he f aunas c ollected

c ommon,

f ound t hroughout G ilbertson 1 976; 1 983).

1 961;

T he

f rom t he t hirteen s amples h ave

t hey a re t ypical o f c old-stage t errace

t his a rea ( e.g. B rown e t a l.

( Large a nd S parks 1 978,

a nd

B riggs e t a l.

f irst

f aunas

B riggs a nd G ilbertson 1 973, 1 980 ; 1 980), a nd i n t he S evern-Avon b asin 1 975b;

G ilbertson a nd H awkins

p oint o f n ote i s t he e xtremely

r estricted

n umber o f t axa p resent i n a d epositional e nvironment w here t he m ixing o f s pecimens f rom f luvial a nd t errestrial h abitats o ught t o p roduce m uch r icher f aunas. I n t his c ontext t he r emarkably l ow d iversity m ay i ndicate a v ery h arsh e nvironment, c haracterised b y e xtreme c old a nd e xposure. H owever v arious t aphonomic p rocesses m ay a lso b e i nvolved ( Briggs e t a l. 1 984). M ost o f t he s pecies p resent a re t olerant o f e xtreme c old a nd n owadays t heir E uropean d istribution r eaches u p t o o r i nside t he A rctic C ircle. T he c limate c annot b e p recisely q uantif ied. S ome g uidance i s o ffered b y t he p resence o f T richia h ispida i n t he

a ssemblages.

T he

n orthern l imit o f

t his t axon a ppears

t o

b e

c ontrolled b y t emperature t olerance i n m odern S candinavia; i t o ccurs o nly s parsely n orth o f l atitude 6 2 °N , u sually i n m an-made m icrohabi t ats ( see K erney 1 971a; W alden 1 955; V alovirta 1 967). O therwise t here a re f ew i ndications o f s ignificant w armth o r i nterglacial c onditions

a s d etected

a t

n earby S ugworth ( Gilbertson 1 980) 10 4

o r

f rom

t he

S tanton Harcourt

i nterglacial d eposits

t he m olluscan e vidence s upports o f

s edimentary

s tructures,

t he

( see C hapter

i nferences made

s ediments,

a nd

f rost

5 ).

H ence

f rom o bservations

s tructures.

S amples S HG 1 a nd S HG 2 , f rom t he b asal s ands, c omprise s omewhat d ifferent a ssemblages t o t hose i n t he r emaining s amples. B oth a re d ominated b y t he m arsh s nail Anisus l eucostoma a nd c ontain a lso s ignificant n umbers o f O xyloma p feifferi a nd L ymnaea t runcatula. I nterestingly,

s pecimens

o f

t hese

t axa a re c ommonly l arge c ompared

t heir m inute s ize w ithin t he o verlying g ravels. s table e nvironment d uring f ormation o f t he b asal P isidium a mnicum i ndicates

t he p resence o f m oving

f auna i s c onsistent w ith t he i nterpretation o f t hat

t he

s ands

a ccumulated

a s

t o

T his i mplies a m ore s ands. I n a ddition, w ater.

t he

o verbank d eposits

T hus,

s ediments; f rom

a

t he

n amely,

r elatively

s table c hannel o n t he O xford C lay s urface. B y

c ontrast,

P upilla

m uscorum.

t he

d ominant

t axon i n t he o verlying

T his x erophilous

l and

s nail,

g ravels

n owadays

i s

c harac-

t eristic o f o pen e xposed d owns o r s and d unes, may h ave b een l iving o n d rier g ravelly r idges o n t he f loodplain, o r h ave b een i ncorporated b y w ind, b lizzards o r o verland l eading t o t he f loodplain.

f low f rom t he o pen t reeless h illslopes A lternatively, t he s pecies h as o cca-

s ionally b een o bserved l iving i n m arshy s ites ( Boycott 1 934), K erney ( 1963) a nd K erney e t a l. ( 1964) s uspected t hat t his f orm

w as

a n

a ctual m ember o f m arsh c ommunities

a t

w hilst t aller

v arious

L ate-

D evensian s ites i n S outh E ast E ngland. T he l ack o f s pecimens o f t he l and g enus Vallonia i n s uch a ssemblages h as p reviously b een s uggested a s p ointing t o a n a bsence o f a s table s urface g rass c over ( Kerney 1 971a; B riggs e t a l. 1 975b). T he s edimentological d ata s uggesting i ntense t he

f rost

a ctivity a nd

f loodplain s upport S ome o f

L ymnaea

t he

p eregra

t he r apid

t his v iew a t

f reshwater c an

a nd

l arge s upply o f

t o

S tanton Harcourt.

t axa p resent,

t olerate

s ediments

s uch a s G yraulus l aevis

a w ide r ange o f

f reshwater

a nd

h abitats.

V alvata p iscinalis i s m ore o ften a p ool o r l ake s pecies ( Oklund 1 964), w hereas A ncylus f luviatilis i s t he o nly t axon p resent w hich s pecifically f avours m argins.

s hallow,

I ndications

o f

r apidly f lowing w aters o r w ave-agitated

m arsh

p rovided b y L ymnaea t runcatula, D eroceras A s

c f.

a grestis

o r p ools

p rone

t o

A nisus l eucostoma,

d rying

u p

a re

O xyloma p feifferi,

a nd T richia h ispida.

i nspection o f T able 1 6 s hows,

t here i s

s ome s uggestion t hat

t hese h ygrophilous t axa w ere r elatively m ore a bundant i n t he b asal t errace g ravels t han i n t he u pper g ravels. A ncylus f luviatilis i s c onfined

t o

s amples

f rom

t he b asal

g ravels

a nd

i mplies

t hat

t hese

m aterials a ccumulated c lose t o a m ajor s tream c hannel. O n t he o ther h and t his s pecies i s a lso c ommon i n t he i nterglacial d eposits o f t he S tanton H arcourt f rom n ot m ay

t here.

C hannel

a nd

I n a ny c ase,

t he

f ew s pecimens may h ave b een

t he c hanges

i n

n ecessarily i ndicate m ajor c hanges r eflect

a r elatively m inor

s hift

i n t he l ocal i n

d erived

t he m olluscan a ssemblages d o e nvironment,

t he m ain c hannel.

T hus

b ut t he

d ecline i n t he n umbers o f m arsh a nd o ther a quatic s pecies i n t he u pper g ravels, a nd t he i ncreased d ominance o f P upilla m uscorum, p robably i ndicate t he d evelopment i n t he a rea o f a s emi-stable b ar s urface w hich w as o nly p eriodically f looded. S uch a n i nterpretation i s

c ompatible w ith b oth t he

o f

l arge

i ce-wedge c asts

s edimentary

a nd

l ocal

e vidence

c ryoturbation 105

a nd

t he

p revalence

s urfaces

i n

t he

u pper g ravels. 4 .4.3

H istory o f d eposition

T he s edimentological i nformation, p eriglacial s tructures a nd m olluscan e vidence a re c onsistent i n i ndicating t hat t he m ain b ody o f t he

S tanton Harcourt G ravel

a ccumulated

i n a p eriod

o f

c old,

p eri-

g lacial c onditions. T hese c onditions c ontrast markedly w ith t hose e videnced b y t he u nderlying S tanton Harcourt c hannel ( see C hapter 5 ); i t

t hus

s eems

l ikely t hat,

p rior

t o i nitial

a ggradation

o f

t he

t errace g ravels, a p eriod o f l ateral e rosion o ccurred, r emoving t he a lluvium a ssociated w ith t his c hannel, t rimming t he O xford C lay s urface a nd e roding m ost o f t he s oil t hat h ad f ormed u pon i t. T his p hase

o f

e rosion

may h ave c oincided w ith t he

d eterioration

a t

i ncreasing b ut

i nputs o f

T errace s ands

t he

t he

t hough

t he

c oarse

s ands

i n t he O xford C lay.

t hemselves

l aid d own d uring

l ocal marsh a nd a nd

o f

w hen

p ools.

d rained

p eriods

A t

a nd

f lood.

a lso,

w as

t he

b asal

s pecific i s k nown a t

t his

t o h ave a ccumulated

o f

t imes,

s oil

N othing

t he s tream c hannel

s eem

c limatic

r unoff

l imited.

m olluscan r emains f ound i n t he d eposits, ment a ppears t o h ave b een c ool a nd o pen, p artially

p eriod

i nterglacial,

s ediment

n ature o r p osition o f

t he

d eposits

o f

a ggradation c ommenced w ith t he d eposition o f

i n s cour b asins

a bout

e nd

a s

s tage, o verbank

O n t he e vidence o f

h owever, t he l ocal w ith q uite l arge

t he

e nvirons treams,

t he b asin i tself w as a t

l east

f ormation t ook p lace o n t he e xposed

s ilts

s ands. D eposition

e nvironmental a ppears i nto

t o

o f

t he

b asal

c onditions.

F ed

h ave c arried

t errace g ravels m arked b y

c oarse g ravels

t he S tanton Harcourt

a

s easonal meltwaters, f rom t he

c hange

i n

t he W indrush

C otswold

d ipslope

a rea w here a f an-delta a ccumulated

a t

t he

c onfluence w ith t he T hames. T he s tream i tself a ppears t o h ave b een b raided, a nd t he f loodplain c onsisted o f a m osaic o f g ravel b ars, s and b anks, c hannels a nd d eveloped, a lly

s hallow i solated p ools, f aster-flowing s treams.

t hough

p recluded

t he g eneral

s urvival

o f

i nstability o f

p eriglacial

h illslopes w ere a pparently o pen, a bly s ubject

m arshy h ollows, t emporary P ermafrost c onditions h ad t he e nvironment g ener-

f eatures.

b leak a nd

T he

t reeless,

n eighbouring a nd

w ere

p rob-

t o a ctive e rosion.

S ubsequently, a c older i nterlude

t he s tream a bandoned t he S tanton H arcourt a rea o r i ntervened, a nd a w idespread c ryoturbation s urface

d eveloped. R enewed a ggradation f ollowed, h owever, a s t he b raided T hames c arried g ravels f rom t he w est. I ntense p ermafrost c onditions c ontinued

t hrough

m uch o f

t his

p eriod,

t hough p ossibly w ith

s hort

w armer p hases d uring w hich i ce-wedges m elted a nd w ere i nfilled. M ean a nnual t emperatures w ere p robably s ignificantly b elow 6 °C , b ut m oll uscan m ean

f aunas

s ummer

s urvived,

d ation

c eased

l ateral

e rosion a nd,

o f

i ntense

t urbation

a nd

t he

l east

f or

s hort

A t

r esulted

w hich b lankets

t he

a t

t errace

s urface w as

c onditions

t he

a l ater i n

p eriods,

s uggesting t hat

U ltimately t rimmed

b y

t errace a ggraa

p eriod

o f

p ossibly, mass m ovement b efore a f urther p eriod

p eriglacial l ayer

w edge c asts. a ctivity

a t

t emperatures w ere a bove 1 0°C .

t he

s urface o f s tage,

l ed

t o

t he d evelopment

t he g ravels

w eathering,

f ormation o f

a nd

o f a

c ryo-

a ssociated

i ce-

s olifluction a nd

a s urface d eposit

t errace.

106

o f

a eolian

c over

l oam

D atable m aterials Harcourt

G ravel,

b ut

h ave n ot b een f ound a n i ndication o f

i n t he b ody o f

t he a ge o f

t he

t he S tanton t errace

i s

p rovided i ndirectly. C learly, t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel i s o lder t han t he F loodplain T errace g ravels w hich c an b e d ated b y r adiocarbon a ssay

t o

t he M id- a nd L ate-Devensian.

i nterglacial E ynsham a nd c ate

t hat

d eposits w idely

a dvance a rea.

t hat o f

o f

W olstonian i n r ecently b een

r ecords

p re-dates a t

t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel

t errace g ravel

o f

Harcourt

t he p resence o f

a ggradation i s

t he C halky B oulder C lay o f

T raditionally,

T he

S tanton

P leistocene G ravel

e specially a t M agdalen C ollege,

O n t he o ther h and,

c orrelatives

i ndicates

i n O xford,

t he

t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel

g lacial p hase. t he

o verlying

l east f resh

o ne

i nter-

f lints

i n t he O xford

l ater

t han

t he

t he V ale o f M oreton i nto

t he C halky B oulder C lay h as b een r egarded

a ge ( e.g. c hallenged

M itchell e t a l. 1 973). T his b y S umbler ( 1983) w ho s uggested

C halky B oulder C lay m ay r elate

t o t he A nglian c old-stage.

a t

i ndi-

v iew t hat

i n a rea l ast t he a s h as t he

I n e ither

c ase, t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel m ust b e e quated w ith a p reD evensian c old-stage o f c onsiderable i ntensity, c omplexity a nd d urat ion.

C hapter 5 .

T HE S TANTON H ARCOURT C HANNEL

( with c ontributions b y R .B.

B eck,

a nd E .

5 .1

K .M .

C artledge,

A .

C urrant,

R obinson).

S TRATIGRAPHY A ND S EDIMENTOLOGY E arly

d escriptions

d emonstrated

l ower c omponent. E ynsham G ravel o f l ower

o f

t he S ummertown-Radley

a b ipartite d ivision o f

g ravels

t he g ravels

T errace

g ravels

i nto a n u pper

a nd

T he u pper c omponent r epresents t he i nterglacial t he t ype n ow d escribed f rom M agdalen C ollege. T he

i n

f urther d ivisible

t he t errace w ere s hown i n t he l ast i nto a t wo-fold

s equence

c hapter

t o

b e

s eparated b y a c omplex a nd

i ntense e pisode o f c ryoturbation. H owever, A rkell ( 1945) s uggested o n a rchaeological g rounds t hat a f urther b asal u nit may b e p resent, a nd

t hat

t his

i nferred

B etween 1 977

a nd

1 980 ,

Harcourt,

t o

( SP410040 )

g ave s upport

u ncovered

t he

u nit m ight b e o f

e ast

a s hallow,

d eposits.

T his

o f

g ravel

i nterglacial

a ffinity.

e xtraction a t D ix's p it,

t he a rea k nown l ocally

a s

S tanton

L inch

H ill

t o A rkell's v iew .

E xcavations p rogressively

P leistocene c hannel

i nfilled w ith f ossiliferous

c hannel

l ay b eneath t he g ravels o f

t he m ain b ody

o f

t he S ummertown-Radley T errace a nd w as c ut i nto t he O xford C lay b edr ock. T he c hannel w as f irst d escribed b y B riggs a nd G ilbertson ( 1980) ,

i n

t heir

p resentation o f

b ehaviour a nd v alley d evelopment

a g eneral m odel

o f Q uaternary

i n t he r egion.

r iver

I n t his a ccount

i t

w as r eferred t o a s t he L inch H ill C hannel a fter t he n ame l ocation. H owever t he n ame t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel

o f i s

p roposed

T errace

a nd

r ecognised T he p atches t he

e xtent

t rended

t he c hannel

s ilt,

t he g ravel

c hannel

T hames.

h ad T he

e xtent, h owever, b elow i t a ppears s equent

H ill

w ood p it.

w as

s hown b y

f ragments M apping

o f

a m inimum w idth o f a ctual

t o

e ast,

w idth o f

t he

d istribution

o f

a nd v ertebrate r emains a cross t his

e vidence

a bout

6 0m,

d emonstrated a nd

t hat

b roadly p arallel w ith

t he c hannel

a t

i ts

i t t he

f ullest

m ay h ave b een s omewhat g reater, f or a s d iscussed t hat t he c hannel h as b een p artly t runcated b y s ub-

e rosion. T he c hannel

S ections

s ediments

t hrough

t renches i n t he t hese i ndicate, a bout

t he

c hannel d eposits

p rovided

b y

d rainage

f loor o f t he g ravel p it a re s hown i n F ig. 3 2. t he c hannel i s c ut i nto O xford C lay. B eyond

b eneath t he c hannel, d epth o f a nd

c onfusion w ith t he L inch

f rom a pproximately w est

m odern

5 .1.1

p revent

o f

o f o rganic

t he

t o

i n t he M iddle a nd L ower T hames.

f loor o f

t hat

u sed

i ts n ow

2 0cm,

t he u nderlying

t he s urface o f t hough

t he O xford C lay i s w eathered

l ocally

c lay i s d isturbed,

t his w eathered

l ayer

i s

w ith p ebbles

a nd w ood

A s a nd t o a

m issing f ragments

a pparently h aving b een p ushed d ownwards f rom t he c hannel. I t i s t entatively s uggested t hat t his d isturbance i s a r esult o f t rampling

10 8

c 0

I0 9

T he S tanton Harcourt

b y l arge v ertebrates. T he c hannel s ediments t hemselves c onsist o f g ravels, s ands, s ilts, c lays a nd o rganic m aterials. A nalyses o f t he c hannel g ravels a re g iven t ogether w ith c omparative d ata f or t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel i n T able 1 7. T hese s how t hat t he c hannel g ravels a re p oorly s orted a nd s trongly p ositively s kewed, g ravels o f a s ignificant c omponent

r eflecting t he p resence i n t he o f f ine-grained i nterstitial

m aterial. L ithologically, t he c hannel d eposits a re d ominated b y o olitic l imestone, w ith s mall p roportions o f G ryphaea f ragments, r olled s tone.

a nd h eavily p atinated f lint, q uartz a nd q uartzite, a nd i ronN otably, t he G ryphaea f ragments, f lint a nd q uartz/quartzite

p ebbles g ravels

a re a ll m ost a bundant i n t he c oarser s ize f ractions o f t he ( >8mm) a nd t hey s eem t o r epresent l ag m aterial i ncorporated

i n t he c hannel s ediments. G ryphaea a re c ommon i n t he u nderlying J urasaic O xford C lay, b ut t he f lint, q uartz a nd q uartzite a re, u ltim ately, o f m ore d istant o rigin. B oth l ithological g roups a re f ound i n t he P lateau D rifts w hich c ap t he i nterfluves i n t he O xford A rea, a nd t heir p resence i n t he c hannel m ay r eflect t heir o ccurrence a s r emani4 m aterials o n t he o ld v alley f loor, d erived f rom r eworking o f t he P lateau D rift. T he f lint:quartz + q uartzite r atio i n t he c hannel s ediments,

h owever,

i s

h igh c ompared

t o t hat

i n t he P lateau

D rift

( ca. 3 :1 a s o pposed t o a bout 0 .05:1 i n t he P lateau D rift). A lthough f lint i s k nown t o h ave e ntered t he u pper T hames v ia t he E venlode d uring t he L ate P leistocene, t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel l ies u ps tream o f t he E venlode c onfluence, a nd t hus t he f lint m ust h ave a d ifferent p rovenance. T he m ost l ikely s ources a re t he h igh l evel f lint-rich g ravels w hich o ccur a s s cattered c appings o n h ills t o t he s outh o f t he T hames b etween U pper M inety ( SU 0 07910) a nd F aringdon ( SU 2 90950 ) ( Briggs 1 973). I n e ither c ase, t hese s ubsidiary c omp onents e xisted

o f t he c hannel s ediments m ay b e s een a s l ag m aterials w hich o n t he v alley f loor p rior t o c hannel i ncision. S ignifi-

c antly, s imilar l ag m aterials a re f ound i n t he b ase o f t he o verlying S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels, t hough t hey a re s carce w ithin t he m ain b ody o f t he t errace ( table 1 7).

T able 1 7.

S edimentology o f

t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel a nd S tanton

H arcourt G ravel P arameter

S tanton H arcourt C hannel ( mean o f 3 s amples)

M ean s ize ( A) S orting ( A) S kewness ( A) W adell's s phericity C ailleux f latness P owers' r oundness L imestone ( %) I ronstone

( %)

G ryphaea f ragments F lint ( %) Q uartz/quartzite O thers ( %)

( %)

( %)

S tanton H arcourt G ravel ( mean o f 1 0 s amples)

1.15 3 .26

1.77 1 .71

0 .53 0 .60

0 .31 0 .61 2 .72

2 .91 0 .44 8 8.3

0 .39 9 8.1

0 .7 6 .1

0 .5 0 .2

3 .4 1 .1 0 .5

0 .1 0 .5 0 .5

1 10

5 .1.2

b road

H istory o f c hannel s edimentation T he c hannel s ediments s hown i n F ig. 3 2 c an b e i nterpreted i n t erms a s a p roduct o f i nfilling o f t he c hannel b y b oth l ateral

a ccretion a nd v ertical a ggradation . h ave o ccupied t he n orthern p art o f

I nitially, t he c hannel,

t he s tream s eems t o b ut o ver t ime i t

m igrated s outhwards, p robably e roding t he s outhern b ank o f t he c hann el a s i t d id s o, w hilst a ccretion o f p oint b ar d eposits o ccurred o n t he n orthern s ide. T hese b ar d eposits a re r epresented b y t he s outhw ard

d ipping

g ravel,

s and

a nd

s ilt u nits s een i n t he n orthern

a nd

c entral p arts o f t he s ection ( Fig. 3 2). M any o f t hese u nits s how e vidence o f f ining-upward c ycles, w hilst t he g ravels a lso i ncorporate a c onsiderable c omponent o f s ilt a nd f ine s and - r eflected, a s a lready m entioned, i n t he p oor s orting a nd s trong p ositive s kewness ( Table 1 7) - w hich t estifies t o t he a ccumulation o f f ine-grained s ediments o n t he b ar s urfaces d uring p eriods o f w aning f low. I n a ddition, i t s eems t hat a s heltered s wale e xisted i n t he l ee o f t his a ccreting b ar f or s ome t ime, d uring w hich o rganic s ilts a ccumulated ( e.g. a t D 5 a nd D 6 i n F ig. 3 2). S ubsequently, l ateral m igration g ave w ay t o v ertical a ggradation, d uring w hich b roadly h orizontally b edded s ands a nd s ilts a ccumulated. r upted a t i ntervals, h owever,

T he s equence o f a ggradation w as i nterb y c ut-and-fill e pisodes w hich p roduced

c oarser w edges a nd l enses o f g ravels w ithin t he d eposits. U ltim ately, t he c hannel s eems t o h ave b een a bandoned, a nd f inal a ggradat ion i nvolved s edimentation o f o rganic s ilts a nd c lays i n a m arshy o x-bow o r p ool a t i n F ig. 3 2).

t he

s outhernmost m argin o f

t he c hannel

( e.g.

a t D 61

A t a l ater s tage, t he c hannel d eposits w ere a pparently t runc ated, b efore b urial b y t he t errace g ravels. T he e xact j unction b etween t he c hannel a nd t he o verlying t errace d eposits h as n ot b een s een, b ut i t s eems t hat t he o verbank a lluvium a ssociated w ith t he c hannel w as e roded b efore t he s tart o f t errace a ggradation: t he s ands a nd s ilts f ound a t t he b ase o f t he t errace ( unit I o n F ig. 3 2) a re p hysically s eparated f rom t he c hannel a nd t heir m olluscan f auna a nd m acro-plant m aterials, t hough i mpoverished, i ndicate m ore o pen a nd t he

l ess o bviously t emperate c onditions t han t hose a ssociated m ain b ody o f t he c hannel. A h iatus o f u nknown d uration

w ith t hus

e xists b etween t he c hannel s ediments a nd t he t errace d eposits. T he r emarkably f resh c ondition o f t he f ossils w ithin t he c hannel, h owe ver, s uggests t hat t here w as n o d eep p enetration o f w eathering d uring

t hs

s equence. c onditions i ndicative

i nterval a nd

i mplies

t hat

t here i s n o major g ap

i n

t he

I t i s a lso c lear t hat d uring t his i nterlude d epositional c hanged f undamentally. T he S tanton H arcourt C hannel i s o f a p eriod o f g radual d eposition b y a m eandering s tream

i n a r elatively s table e nvironment. T he o verlying t errace g ravels, i n c ontrast, a ccumulated i n m uch l ess s table, b raided s tream c ondit ions.

5 .1.3

P alaeohydrology

S ome i ndication o f t he p alaeohydrological c onditions a ssociated w ith t he S tanton H arbourt C hannel c an b e d erived f rom a c onsideration o f t he c hannel m orphology a nd t he n ature o f t he i nfilling s ediments. A lthough t he c hannel e xposed i n D ix's P it h as c learly b een t runcated s ince

i nfilling,

a n e stimate o f

t he g eneral 1 11

c hannel d imensions

a nd

t he

l ikely b ankful d ischarge c an b e m ade b y a n umber o f

T hese m ethods A s

n oted,

t he f loor o f a ssumed t hat s tream,

o f

t he a verage w idth o f

a s

o f

e ffect,

i n m ore d etail

h as

a nd

b y

o n t he b asis o f d etailed

t runcation o f

D irect a ble

a bout

a rea)

t his O ther

1 .5

o f

i s

c hannel

0 . 00055

i s

s lope t he

i ndicated

w ith c aution,

c hannel

s lope o f

c haracteristics

A

a nd

f or t he

s ection a nd

a re

t o

s urface

r epresents

a v alley-floor

f urther,

t he s lope

i n

t he

a s inuosity ( 6)

t he m odern T hames 0 . 00037

n ot

O n t he r eason-

b y b orehole e vidence

c a.

a

c onservative

s inuosity

e xposures.

A ssuming,

( approximately e quivalent

i mplies a c hannel

f or t his

A ssessment

f rom t he d itch

t he c urrent b edrock

a rea ( Fig.13).

f or

e stimated.

u nknown.

h owever,

e xtent o f

e vidence

A llowing

i nto w hich t he c hannel w as c ut,

a pproximately

S tanton Harcourt o f

t hat

s urface

t here i s

a lso b e a pproached

t he l imited

a ssumption

o riginal o f

t o

i n

I t c annot, o f c ourse, b e a t a ny s ingle t ime b y t he

4 5m i s

t he c hannel

m easurements

p ossible due

e xposed

a ugering w ithin t he c hannel,

a bout

e stimate o f a bout 2 m c an b e made, f rom t he a uger s urvey.

p rocedures.

( 1983).

r emnant

l ateral m igration.

a ctive c hannel w idth o f o f

t he c hannel

a lready b een mentioned,

t he c hannel

m ean c hannel d epth m ust

d egree

b y B riggs

t he g ravel p it i s a bout 6 0m. t he w hole c hannel w as o ccupied

a nd,

w idening maximum

a re d escribed

i n

t his

( Table 1 8).

c an a lso b e d educed.

F rom

t he

p alaeo-ecological e vidence o utlined b elow, a nd f rom d irect e vidence o f t he c hannel m orphology, i t c an b e a rgued t hat t he c hannel w as o ccupied b y a w ide, m oderately d eep a nd p artially v egetated s tream, w ith c lay b anks a nd a c lay-gravel b ed a nd w ith s hallow p ools a nd r iffles. C omparison w ith d ata p rovided b y C how ( 1964) i ndicates a M anning

r oughness c oefficient

E stimates

D ata o n h ydraulic

d epth),

c hannel

t o

p rovide

a n

a bout

0 . 04

( Table 1 8).

s lope(s)

r adius a nd

i n a

t he r oughness c oefficient

=

r0 .67

e stimate o f

s0 .5

v elocity ( v).

w hich

m ean d epth

g i s g ravitational

b y

( D)

r e-writing

c an b e e ntered

A lternatively,

f riction a nd

t he

b e

f ollows:

E quation 2

a cceleration

f actor.

e quivalent

t he e mpirical

u se m ay

w hich c an b e w ritten a s

= j2 g r s

i n

o f

t o m ean

E quation 1

t he D arcy-Weisbach e quation,

D arcy-Weisbach

n umber

( r- a pproximately e quivalent

e quation:

V

made o f

o f

o f m ean b ankful v elocity may b e made

w ays.

i nto M anning's

( n)

T his

( 9.81m

c an,

p article

e quation o f

f ollows:

1 12

s-1 ) a nd

i n t urn,

s ize o f L eopold

f

t he b edload e t

i s

t he

b e r elated a l.

t o

( d 84 )

( 1964)

a s

T able

1 8

P alaeohydrology o f t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel

P arameter M ean b edload

s ize

E stimated v alue ( äb )

C omment

7 .0mm

C alculated f rom p article s ize d istribution

8 4th p ercentile s ize ( d 84 )

1 4.0mm

C alculated f rom p article s ize d istribution

C hannel w idth ( w)

4 5m

M easured f rom c hannel e xposure

2 m

M easured f rom c hannel e xposure

0 .00055

M easured s urface

1 .5

A ssumed

0 .00037

E stimated:

0 .04

E stimated

f rom C how ( 1964)

0 .025

E stimated

f rom e quation 3

E stimated

f rom M anning's

C hannel d epth

V alley s lope

( D)

( sv )

S inuosity ( ) C hannel

s lope

M anning's

( s)

r oughness

( n)

D arcy-Weisbach f riction

( f )

f rom b edrock

M ean b ankful v elocity: v1

0 .79m

v2

0 .76m

V3

1 .00m

s1

e quation s1

E stimated

f rom e quations

2 a nd 3 s1

E stimated

f rom S undborg

g raph M ean b ankfull d ischarge: Q 1 Q 2 Q 3

70 e3

6 9m

s1

3

90 m3

E stimated

f rom v1

s1

E stimated

f rom v2

s1

E stimated

f rom v3

1 13

1

2 E quation 3

\ 2 T hirdly,

l og

a r ough e stimate

t ionships

b etween

( 10D/d 84 )

i s

a lso p ossible b y r eference

a verage p article

s ize

a nd

v elocity, d eveloped b y H julstrom ( 1935) a nd S undbord r equire t he c alculation o f t he m ean b edload s ize. p article g ravels m ay

s ize d istribution c urves a re made u p o f

b e

a ssumed

t o

b e

( Fig.33)

i ndicate

t wo d istinct p opulations, t he b edload,

a nd

t he

t o

c ritical

t he r ela-

e ntrainment

( 1967). T hese E xamination o f

t hat

t he

c hannel

t he c oarser o f w hich

f iner o f

w hich

p robably

r epresents t he s uspended l oad. O n t his b asis, t he mean b edload s ize o f t he g ravels c an b e c alculated, a s i n T able 1 8. I t a lso h as t o b e a ssumed i n t his c ase t hat n ear t he b ankful s tage. O n f low

t he

b asis

v elocities

c ombined m ents o f

o f

e ntrainment o f

t hese

t he b edload

t hree a pproaches,

c an b e c alculated

o ccurred

a r ange o f

( Table 1 8).

a t

o r

e stimated

T hese m ay

t hen

b e

w ith e stimates o f c hannel w idth a nd d epth t o g ive a ssessb ankful d ischarge. I t i s a pparent t hat t hese e stimates o f

d ischarge a re b roadly s imilar, r anging f rom a bout 6 9 W hilst a dmitting t hat s uch p alaeohydrological a nalyses

t o 9 0 m s-1 . a re i nevitably

t enuous b ecause o f t he a ssumptions t hat h ave t o b e m ade a nd t he i nherant e rrors i n c alculation, i t c an b e a rgued t hat t he c onsistency o f t hese r esults i ndicates t hat t hey r eflect a r ealistic o rder-ofm agnitude e stimate o f m ated d ischarge

i s

c hannel c onditions.

s omewhat

I nterestingly,

b ilow i t he m aximum r ecorded

f or

t he e stit he m odern

T hames a t E ynsham ( ca. 1 10 m s-L ; HMSO 1 974), p ossibly i ndicating t hat t he c hannel w as f ormed u nder c onditions n o w etter t han t hose o f t he p resent d ay.

5 .2

P LANT R EMAINS S everal

p repared

( by R .B.

s eries

f or

t unately,

a ll

c ontained

n o

o f

B eck)

s amples

p ollen a nalysis t he

u sing

s amples w ere

s ignificant

t hrough t he c hannel s tandard

f ound

a mounts o f

t echniques.

t o b e h ighly

p ollen,

s equence

w ere U nfor-

c alcareous

s ome b eing

a nd

c ompletely

d evoid o f o rganic r emains. G rains o f P icea, Q uercus a nd A lnus, w ith o ne o r t wo h erb p ollen t ypes, w ere f ound, b ut i t i s n ot p ossible o n t he b asis o f t hese t o a ssign t he d eposits t o a ny p articular i nterg lacial. l evels.

w ere K ew.

A bundant

T he

l ogs

V ERTEBRATES T he

f ound

m icrospores

w ere a lso

f ound

a t

a ll

L ogs a nd t wigs a ssociated w ith m ammoth r emains n ear e xposure D 31 i dentified b y D r. D .F. C utler o f t he R oyal B otanic G ardens a t

( Corylus a vellana)

5 .3

M esozoic

a re

o f

o ak ( Quercus s p.)

a nd d ogwood

( by A .P.

( Cornus

a nd

t he

t wigs

o f

h azel

s anguinea).

C urrant)

f ollowing m ammalian

i n t he S tanton H arcourt

s pecies

a re r epresented

C hannel:

114

i n t he

m aterial

9 9 98 •

9 5 -

90 -

80 -

7 0 60 • 5 0 m

O COARSER

40 • 30 -

20

1 0 ;

5 -

2 -

5

1

-4

1 -3

2

1

SZ E

F igure 3 3

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

I

P article s ize d istributions f rom

t he S tanton H arcourt

C hannel.

P anthera l eo

l ion

U rsus s p.

b ear

M ammuthus p rimigenius

m ammoth

E quus

h orse

s p.

B ovini

( Bos

o r B ison s p.)

S amples w ere c ollected O nly

t he

r emains

a b ovid

f or s mall m ammals, o f

b ut

l ion ( Panthera l eo)

n one w ere f ound. a nd m ammoth

( Mammuthus

p rimigenius) i nterglacial

( Plate 5 ) w ere f ound i n s itu, i n d irect a ssociation w ith d eposits c ontaining a bundant f reshwater M ollusca,

I nsecta

p lant

a nd

r emains

( Fig.34)

( see a lso P late 6 ).

M ost

o ther

s pecimens w ere f ound i n s poil d ug f rom t he d rainage t rench i n w hich t he i nterglacial d eposits w ere e xposed. I n t he c ase o f t he l ion, a r ight r adius a nd t he p roximal e nd o f a l eft u lna ( BM ( NH) M 36290-1) w ere

d iscovered

a nimal,

t his

i n c lose a pproximation .

s uggests

t hatthe r emains w ere

1 15

G iven t he r arity

o f

t his

f rom a s ingle i ndividual.

2

>

§ ' i : ' ; 7

‚ 7 ,

I ' c g

r

I› •; i ;

*i c 5. 1) e ge ,c tc t ' L I0 i ,i: , l ' i [ 1 M 1 : r . . 'E lgI

S ITE 08041 4 m E o f p in)

>

s ections

5

c I A

/ .o U x

u

! i

FACE

FACE

NORT H

SOUTH

. 3A

0 18 NORT H

E

8

IHIA

NORTH

C IL i : ,0I

• _ • '

D l)

! G I ü ;

t ;

1 16

P late

6 .

Mandible o f y oung m ammoth ( Mammuthüs p rimigenius)

a t

s ite 0 804

i n t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel d eposits.

P late

7 .

C lose u p o f i n

t he m andible o f M ammuthus p rimigenius

t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel d eposits.

1 17

f rom s ite 0 804

P late

5 .

T usk o f m ammoth ( Nammuthus S tanton Harcourt

T he

r elationship

d eposits

c ould

n ot

o f

C hannel

p rimigenius)

a t

s ite D 39

d eposits.

t he o ther m ammalian m aterial

b e d etermined

i n t he

i n d etail d ue

t o

t o

t he c hannel

t he n ature o f

t he

e xposure b ut a s n oted t here w as a m arked c oncentration o f f ragmentary mammoth t eeth a nd t usks a cross t he o utcrop o f t he c hannel d eposits, c losely a ssociated d ogwood.

w ith l ogs

o f

T his d istribution,

o ak a nd

p ockets o f

t wigs

o f h azel

a nd

t ogether w ith t he o ccurrence o f a l arge

t usk o f m ammoth w ithin t he c hannel s ediments, mammoth r emains a re a n i ntimate p art o f t he

d emonstrates t hat t he i nterglacial m aterial.

M ammuthus p rimigenius i s, i n f act, b y f ar t he b est r epresented a nimal i n t he f auna, t hough t he r emains s how a s trong b ias i n f avour o f t eeth a nd t usks. t o b e c onfined t o

N on-dental m aterial w as p oorly p reserved a nd p ockets o f r eworked O xford C lay. A n a lmost

mandible o f a m ammoth ( BM ( NH) M 47029) w as r ecovered f rom p ocket ( Plates 6 a nd 7 ) t hough t he b one w as i n a n a dvanced d ecay.

I n

g eneral

g ravels w ere n ot

5 .4

i t

N ON-MARINE M OLLUSCA

5 .4.1.

s eems

f avourable

t o

t hat

c onditions b eneath

t ended e ntire

o ne s uch s tate o f

t he

t errace

t he p reservation o f b one.

( by K .M.

C artledge)

Analytical p rocedures

T he m olluscan s tudies r eported h ere a re b ased u pon s ampled p rofiles f rom t he s ides o f t he d rainage d itch ( D s eries s amples, s ee F igure 3 2)

a nd

a n

e xcavated

t he d itch. T he C artledge 1 981).

p it

( 0803/0804 s eries)

s ections

n oted

a re

4 0m t o

t he

s outh w est

s hown i n F igure 3 4

1 18

( see

o f a lso

T he m olluscan s amples s pan m ost o f t he t ime r ange r epresented b y t he i nterglacial d eposits, t he o ldest s amples b eing r epresented b y t he D 5 s eries. S amples o r

o f 1 .5 t o 2 .0 k g w ere t aken e ither a t

f rom e ach d istinct

s edimentary u nit,

0 .1 m

a s a ppropriate.

i ntervals, T he s amples

w ere d ivided, w ith p art b eing f orwarded f or o stracod a nd o ther s tudies. A fter d rying a nd w eighing, t he r etained s amples w ere d isaggregated a nd w ashed t hrough a 2 50 » r a s ieve. T he m olluscan r emains w ere s eparated a nd i dentified w ith t he a id o f a l ow-powered s tereo-microscope. T he m olluscan c ount i s b ased u pon s ingle i dentif iable p arts s uch a s a pices, d istinct h ing o r l ip f ragments. T wo t housand n ine h undred a nd n inety s even i ndividuals w ere i dentified a nd c ounted; d etails a re s et o ut i n T able 1 9. T he n umber o f v alves o f l amellibranchs h as b een h alved i n t his t able t o i ndicate t he n umbers o f i ndividuals p resent, o dd n umbers b eing r ounded u pwards. O percula o f B ithynia t entaculata ( L.) h ave b een r ecorded s eparately f rom t he n umber o f s hells o f t his s pecies, a nd a re e xcluded f rom c olumn t otals a nd f rom p ercentage f requency c ounts. T he r esults a re a lso d isplayed g raphically i n F igures 3 5-42, u sing t hree p rocedures: ( i) a bsolute f requency h istograms s howing t he a bundance o f s pecies o f i ndividual t axa p er k ilogram d ry w eight o f s ediment; ( ii) p ercentage f requency h istograms s howing t he r elative a bundance o f e ach t axa a t e ach l evel; a nd ( iii) p ercentage f requency h istograms s howing t he r elative i mportance o f S parks ( 1964) m olluscan c limatic g roupings. N omenclature f or l and M ollusca f ollows W alden ( 1976), a nd f or f reshw ater M ollusca i s b ased o n t he l ist o f K erney ( 1976). P roblems

o f

i dentification

w ere f ound w ith

s everal

s pecies.

T hese w ere d ue t o: ( i) t he i mperfect p reservational c onditions o f t he r iverine e nvironment, w hich h as r esulted i n c onsiderable f ragm entation o f s hells a nd i n t he d estruction o f t he f iner d etail o f s hell s culpture; s pecimens. A ll

t he

a nd

( ii)

o percula

t he p resence o f h igh n umbers o f

f ound

w ere

i dentifiable

a s

j uvenile

b elonging

t o

B ithynia t entaculata. N o e xamples o f B . i nflata ( Hansen) w ere f ound a mongst e ither t he o percula o r t he a dult s hells. W hilst P leistocene S uccineidae c an b e i dentified o nly t entat ively ( Kerney 1 971 a , b ), t he e xamples f ound i n t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel s eem ( Rossmassler). S uccinea s pp.

t o c ompare w ith e xa m ples o f O xyloma p feifferi J uvenile o r f ragmented s hells h ave b een r eferred t o U nusual

f orms o f V alvata p iscinalis a re p resent.

T hey

a ppear t o i ntergrade i n s hape w ith t he m ore n ormal f orm o f V . p iscinalis; c onsequently t hey h ave n ot b een r ecorded a s a s eparate t axon. D amaged s pecimens o f a n u nusual s pecies o f H elicella w ere n oted. O stracod

I ntact s pecimens w ere r ecovered b y D r. J .E. R obinson i n h is s tudies a nd t hese w ere i dentified a s H elicella c rayfordensis

- a n e xtinct P leistocene t axon - b y D r. R .C. P reece. T he j uvenile f orms o f P lanorbis p lanorbis w ere d ifficult t o s eparate f rom t hose o f G yraulus l aevis, b ut a s o nly t he l atter a ppeared i n a dult f orm i n t he s eries, i ncluded

j uveniles h ave b een a llocated t o u nder V allonia s p. a re j uvenile

s pecific

c haracteristics.

119

t he s ame t axon. S hells s pecimens l acking m ore

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1

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( Shotton 1 976) _1 o verlies

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( Bishop 1 958)

or

V ertebrates

or

r ->-

P lants W OLVERCOTE

7 H OXNIAN

:

I NTERGLACIAL

C HANNEL

'

T EMPERATE M n 1l usca I nsects

a ltimetrically b elow

*

! CHALKY B OULDER C LAYrj 1 1. i 1 i ( Sumbler 1 983)

3 d oes n ot c ontain f lint f rom

7A NGLIAN G LACIAL

P eriglacial

f eatures - - ea .

- COLD

M olluscs

*

*

*

*

a ltimetrically b elow

*

*

*

*

*

V ertebrates P lants C ROMERIAN

p alseontology

I NTERGLACIAL

S UGWORTH

P ollen

C HANNEL

M olluscs

T EMPERATE

I nsects O stracoda

F igure 4 3.

Q uaternary c hronology a nd r iver

t errace a nd

r egional

c orrelation o f

c hannel d eposits o f

1 45

t he

t he U pper T hames.

I n

d iscussing

t he

w ider

c orrelation

o f

t he

U pper

T hames

d eposits, i t i s a lso u seful t o b ear i n m ind t he a ccepted i nterpretat ion o f Q uaternary e vents i n s urrounding a reas, e specially i nsofar a s t hey t his

i mpinge u pon t he U pper T hames b asin. P articular i mportance i n c ontext a ttaches t o e vents i n t he M idlands, f or a t v arious t imes

i ce a nd g lacial meltwaters f rom t his a rea f lowed i nto o f t he U pper T hames. T able 2 2 t herefore s ummarises s equence o f a bly t his r aised

t he M idlands a ccording

s equence

a bout

B osworth

n ot w ithout

t he a ge o f

d eposits

1 983).

i n

t hat

a s A nglian

t he

f lints

p roblems

1 983b).

P errin e t

e xist

i n r elating

N evertheless,

a nd E venlode i nto

a l.

p roposed

i t

t he U pper T hames,

i nterpretation o f

t his

s equence i s

r emain d ebatable. p ute.

O n

d eposits

T wo

t he b asis

o n t he b asis r elated

h owever,

t o

i t t he

t hat o utwash

c arried

v ia

e vidence,

S hotton e t a l.

1 980).

t he

t he a ppearance

o f

a n i mportant m arker

i n

t o

t his

i n t he

s ubse-

d eposits, T he

a spects o f

a nd

r easoning

t he

s equence

t o b e b eyond d is-

t he F loodplain

T errace

t he M id- a nd L ate D evensian c old

t he C romerian I nterglacial

G ilbertson 1 980 ;

b ut

s equence t o

c lear

a ppear

r adiocarbon d ating,

o f b iostratigraphical t o

S umbler

( 1983b)

t he U pper T hames

c omplex a nd v arious

o f

a nd L ake

1 979,

a re s hown i n F igure 4 4.

e lements,

c an b e a scribed

i s a nd

R eference w ill b e m ade

w ider r elationships,

b ehind

t his

t he M idlands w as

a ssociated w ith t his o utwash p rovides

T he

I nevit-

a nd d oubts h ave b een

w here t he C halky B oulder C lay i s g enerally

i n a ge.

t he T hames s equence. q uent d iscussion.

b e

a rea ( e.g.

C halky B oulder C lay o f

C herwell

t heir

( 1976,

t he C halky B oulder C lay ( Oadby T ill) t he

A nglian c hronology,

r egarded f rom

t o S hotton

i ts p roblems,

T hese h ave b een v igorously r efuted b y S hotton

i s w orth n oting E ast

i s

t he t ributaries t he Q uaternary

s tage;

t he S ugworth C hannel

( Gibbard

a nd P ettitt

T he r emainder o f

t he

c an

1 978;

s equence

i s d iscussed b elow. 6 .3.1

T he E ynsham G ravel N otwithstanding

c an b e t o

s hown w ith

t he a rguments

s ome c ertainty

p ut t hat

t he F loodplain T errace g ravels,

a re

f orward

b y S andford

t he n ext

( 1932),

o lder d eposits,

t he E ynsham G ravel.

i t

p rior

A s n oted,

t his r epresents t he u ppermost u nit o f t he S ummertown-Radley T errace c omplex, a nd l ies a ltimetrically b elow t he g ravels o f t he W olvercote C hannel a nd T errace. V ertebrate, p ollen a nd n on-marine m olluscan e vidence t ogether s how t hat t his w as l aid d own i n a w arm-stage e nvironment,

i n a ssociation w ith a meandering

d eposits

s eem

t hus

t o

r epresent

t he m ost

r iver f loodplain .

r ecent

i nterglacial

p rior

t he M id-Devensian, a nd a ccording t o e stablished i nterpretations t he Q uaternary c an b e a ttributed t o t he I pswichian. T his

i nterpretation

T he

p ollen e vidence

a n

I pswichian a ge

p ollen s tages

i s

s upported b y t he

f rom M agdalen C ollege, a nd

I p-III.

b iological

O xford,

i s

t he a bundant

r emains

t o o f

e vidence.

c onsistent w ith

i ndicates g ravel d eposition d uring M oreover,

T he

I pswichian

o f H ippopotamus

a mphibus g lacial

i n t he E ynsham G ravel i s c haracteristic o f I pswichian I nters it. S uch s ites h ave b een e quated w ith o xygen i sotope s ub-

s tage 5 e

( i.e.

y ears

B .P.

I pswichian s ensu s tricto)

c ontaining m ammal e t

a l,

a nd

p laced

a t

b y u ranium/thorium d isequilibrium d ating b ones

i n V ictoria C ave,

1 981).

146

a round 1 25,000 o f

N orth Y orkshire

s peleothems ( Gascoyne

T able 2 2

T he Q uaternary s equence o f t he M idlands

A GE L ate D evensian

D EPOSITS A von I T errace a nd P ower H ouse T errace o f t he S evern W orcester T errace o f S evern

M id-Devensian

t he

( after S hotton 1 976)

D ESCRIPTION A ggradation i n a c old, p eriglacial e nvironment

? Meltwater f rom m ain D evensian i ce-sheet

A von I I T errace a nd M ain

M eltwaters

T errace o f

S ea I ce i n t he S evern ; A von I I T errace a ggradi ng i n a p eriglacial

t he S evern

f rom I rish

e nvironment E arly D evensian

A von I V T errace a nd K idderminster T errace

A ggradation i n a c old, p eriglacial e nvironment

o f t he S evern I pswichian

A von I II T errace

R iver g ravels c ontaini ng H ippopotamus a mphib us a nd C orbicula f luminalis

L ate W olstonian

A von V T errace

A ggradation i n a c old, p eriglacial e nvironment

M id-Wolstonian

D unsmore G ravel

F linty o utwash g ravel f rom t he ' Oadby T ill' i ce I ce a dvance f rom t he

O adby T ill

N NE: ' Cha n cy B oulder C lay' D eltaic o utwash f rom t he

W oiston S and

' Thrussington T ill' i ce L acustrine c lays a nd s ilts d eposited i n L ake H arrison

B osworth C lay

I ce a dvance f rom t he N W;

T hrussington T ill

C arboniferous a nd T riassic m aterials E arly W olstonian

B aginton S and a nd B aginton-Ldllington

F luvial

s ands a nd

G ravel

m oderately c old

g ravels d eposited

i n a

e nviron-

m ent H oxnian

A nglian

N echells a nd Q uinton

L acustrine a nd c hannel-

i nterglacial

f ill d eposits

s ites

T ill o f n orth-western

B ubbenhall C lay

p rovenance 1 47

6 .3.2

a ble,

T he S tanton Harcourt G ravel N o d irect m eans o f d ating b ut i ts r elationship w ith

t hat

t t

r elates

t o

a c old-stage

D ownstream

o f

s ignficant

q uantities

C halky

m ust

g laciation o f 6 .3.3

i mmediately b efore

t he E venlode c onfluence,

B oulder

g ravels

t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel i s a vailt he o verlying E ynsham G ravel s uggests

o f

C lay o f

f resh

f lint,

h ave

t he

I pswichian.

t errace d eposits c ontain

u ltimately d erived

t he M idlands.

t herefore t his

t he

A ggradation o f

p ost-dated

t he

f rom

t he

C halky

t he

t errace

B oulder

C lay

r egion.

T he S tanton Harcourt C hannel

T he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits c learly r elate t o a y et e arlier w arm-stage. D ating b y r adiocarbon t echniques i s n ot p oss ible,

h owever,

w hile

p reservational

p alynological m ethods.

A s a r esult,

m ust b e b ased o n t he o ther b iological g raphic i nterpretations. i .

p roblems p reclude d ating o f

t he u se

o f

t he c hannel d eposits

e vidence a nd

o n

m orphostrati-

M orphostratigraphy M uch

o f

d iscussed.

t he

m orphostratigraphic

C learly

w arm-stage

t he

( represented

e vidence

h as

a lready

c hannel d eposits must b e e arlier b y

t he E ynsham G ravel)

a nd

t wo

b een

t han

o ne

c old-stages

( represented b y t he F loodplain T errace g ravels a nd t he S tanton Harc ourt G ravel). O n t he o ther h and, i t h as a lso b een a rgued o n t he b asis o f t heir a ltitudinal r elationship t hat t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel a nd o verlying t errace d eposits a re y ounger t han t he W olverc ote T errace g ravels. t he

B oth t he S tanton Harcourt

W olvercote T errace g ravels

C hannel d eposits

c ontain f resh f lints,

a nd

b oth

a nd m ust

c onsequently p ost-date t he C halky B oulder C lay o f t he M idlands. A ccording t o e stablished i nterpretation o f t he M idlands s equence ( Shotton 1 976 a nd T able 2 2), t his w ould p lace t he c hannel i nterm ediate i n a ge b etween t he H oxnian a nd I pswichian, b ut s eparated f rom t he f ormer b y a f ull g lacial p hase d uring w hich t he C halky B oulder C lay w as d eposited, a nd f rom t he l atter b y a c old-stage d uring w hich t he S tanton Harcourt G ravel w as l aid d own. T his i mplies t he p resence o f

t wo

w ith

p ost-Hoxnian

i nterglacials

i n t he a rea.

T he a lternative i s t o c orrelate t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel t he H oxnian o f E ast A nglia. I n t his c ase, t he C halky B oulder

C lay

o f

s tage, w ould

t he M idlands m ust a nd,

b e

a s

p roposed

a ttributable

r epresent

a n e arlier

b y P errin e t a l.

t o

t he A nglian .—

( pre-Hoxnian)

( 1979)

a nd

S umbler

O n t his b asis,

B oulder c lays o f t he M idlands a nd E ast A nglia w ould c orrelated. W hile t his i nterpretation a voids t he n eed

t he

c old( 1983), C halky

b e d irectly t o a ccept t he

e xistence o f a p reviously u nrecognised w arm-stage i n t he U pper T hames, i t d emands a f undamental r e-interpretation o f t he M idlands g lacial

c hronology.

N either

o f

t hese

e xplanations

i s

w ithout

p resent

m orpho-stratigraphic

e vidence,

b etween

t hem

o f

w ith

a ny d egree

s tratigraphic

i t

c ertainty.

p osition o f

p roblems, i s

a nd,

i mpossible M uch

t o

d epends

t he W olvercote C hannel.

o n t he c hoose o n

s tatus

a nd

a rgued s ented

a bove, t his r elates t o t he e arly p art o f t he w arm-stage r epreb y t he S tanton Harcourt C hannel, t hen e ither e xplanation i s

1 48

I f,

t he a s

f easible o n p urely m orpho-stratigraphic g rounds.

O n t he o ther

h and,

i f B ishop's ( 1958) i nterpretation o f t he W olvercote C hannel i s c orr ect - a nd t he c hannel p redates t he W olvercote T errace - t he l atter o f t he t wo e xplanations s eems h ighly u nlikely. I n t his c ase, b oth t he W olvercote C hannel a nd t he o lder, h igher Hanborough T errace w ould h ave

t o

b e

r epresented

i ntermediate

i n a ge b etween t he A nglian c old

b y t he W olvercote T errace)

a nd

s tage

t he C romerian

w arm-stage

( represented b y t he S ugworth C hannel). T here i s n o k nown e lsewhere i n B ritain f or w hat m ust h ave b een a l ong a nd p eriod t hs

o f

t errace d eposition,

i nterpretation w ould

t he W olvercote C hannel

e rosion a nd

i mply

t hat

f or r e-examination o f i i.

Y et

( by A .P.

d efinitive v ertebrate

M oreover,

i ndustry

a c onclusion w hich i s a gain,

t his h ighlights

f rom

c learly t he n eed

C urrant)

T he u ncertainty w hich r emains o f

e vidence c omplex

t he W olvercote C hannel.

V ertebrate r emains

i nterpretation

f illing.

t he P alaeolithic

i s p re-Anglian,

i nsupportable a rchaeologically.

c hannel

( as

t he

S tanton

r egarding H arcourt

t he m orpho-stratigraphic

C hannel

m eans

t hat

m ore

c onclusions m ust r ely o n t he b iological e vidence. T he r emains, h owever, p rovide n o f irm b asis f or d ating.

C learly t he c hannel p redates p otamus a mphibus f aunas

o f

t he w arm-stage r epresented b y t he H ippo-

t he E ynsham G ravel,

a nd

i t

t hus

s eems

t o

r epresent a n i nterglacial e arlier t han t he I pswichian ( sensu s tricto), b ut w hich w arm-stage i t r elates t o c annot b e d etermined. I t

may

a lso

b e

n oted

t hat

s ites

w ith

a bundant

r emains

o f

M ammuthus, b ut l acking o bligate c old e lements, t hick s preads o f c ryoturbated f luviatile g ravels,

o ften o verlain b y a re q uite c ommon i n

B ritain.

s ome e arly p arts

G enerally,

t hey h ave b een a ssigned

t he E arly I pswichian.

o r M iddle D evensian, I f i t w ere n ot f or

h ere a nd

S andford

b y

( 1924)

a t S tanton Harcourt. r ecently b een r eported 1 984),

f urther

s tratigraphic i ii.

o f

t he s ame

i nterpretation m ight

b e

a pplied

A s imilar j uxtaposition o f m ammal f aunas h as f rom M arsworth, B uckinghamshire ( Green e t a l.

h ighlighting

s tratigraphically

t o

o r e ven t o t he l ater s tages o f t he t he s tratigraphic e vidence p resented

i solated

t he d angers o f a ssemblages

t rying

i nto a n

t o

c ategorise

i ncomplete

c limo-

f ramework.

M olluscan F aunas T he

p rovide

m olluscan l imited

a ssemblages

e vidence o f

f rom

t he S tanton

t he a ge o f

c onfirmed t hat t he c hannel i s l ater t han b ecause o f ( a) t he a bsence o f s uch

t he

H arcourt

d eposits.

I t

C hannel c an

b e

t he C romerian i nterglacial c haracteristic f orms a s

N ematurella r untoniana a nd V alvata g oldfussiana, w hich w ould e xpected t o o ccur i n t his t ype o f f luvial d eposit a s t hey d o a t n earby C romerian s ite a t S ugworth ( Gilbertson 1 980); a nd ( b)

b e t he t he

p resence

y et

b een

o f

s pecies

r ecorded

f rom

s uch a s C orbicula f luminalis w hich h ave n ot t he C romerian

( Kerney 1 977).

C orbicula f luminalis a nd P isidium c lessini w ould l ater t han t he e arly s tages o f t he l ast c old-stage, h ave

n ot

r eappeared

i n t his

T he

p resence

o f

p rohibit a d ate a s t hese s pecies

c ountry i n t he F landrian.

A ll t he s pecies f ound i n t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel h ave b een i dentified f rom b oth t he H oxnian a nd I pswichian ( see K erney 1 977, B riggs

a nd

G ilbertson

1 980),

i ndicating 1 49

t hat,

s trictly

o n

t he

m olluscan t hese

e vidence,

w arm s tages,

t he d eposits c ould o r

b e a ttributed

t o a n a s y et u nrecognised

t o

e ither

i nterglacial

o f

s tage.

F urther a nalysis o f s pecies f requency, h owever, s hows t hat t he t otal m olluscan a ssemblage b ears a c loser r esemblance t o r ecords o f I pswichian m olluscan p opulations t han t o t hose o f t he e arlier H oxnian w arm-stage. H igh n umbers o f C orbicula a re p articularly c haracterist ic o f t he m iddle z ones o f t he I pswichian ( Sparks 1 964), w hile G yraulus l aevis i s r elatively c ommon a t S tanton Harcourt, i n c ontrast t o i ts r arity i n t he H oxnian ( Kerney 1 977). I t i s a lso n otable t hat t he u nusual f orms o f V alvata p iscinalis r ecorded f rom t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits h ave s imilarly b een f ound i n i nterglacial d eposits a t S toke G oldington ( D. K een, p ers. c omm.), w hich a re i n t urn b elieved t o c orrelate w ith t he M arsworth i nterglacial c hannel. i v.

a s

I nsect f auna I t i s n ot y et p ossible t o u se f ossil i nsects i n a d efinitive w ay a m eans o f s tratigraphical c orrelation b ecause t oo f ew i nter-

g lacial i nsect f aunas h ave s o f ar b een d escribed. T here a re, h owe ver, a n umber o f f eatures o f t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel a ssemblage t hat d eserve e mphasis. T his i nsect a ssemblage i s v ery d ifferent i n i ts s pecific c omposition f rom a ny g enerally a ccepted I pswichian I nterglacial f auna ( i.e. I pswich i tself, T rafalgar S quare, t he E lsing b orehole, o r t he n ewly d iscovered s ite a t I tteringham i n N orfolk). F urthermore, t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel a ssemblage i s q uite u nlike a ny

a ccepted

H oxnian

I nterglacial

f auna

( i.e.

H oxne

i tself

o r

N echells n ear B irmingham). A ll t hese f aunas a re f rom t he t emperate p hases o f t he i nterglacials w hen c limates w ere a s w arm a s, o r r ather w armer t han, t hat o f s outhern E ngland a t t he p resent d ay. T hese d ifferences i n t he i nsect f aunas c annot, t herefore, b e a ttributed t o c limatic f actors p revalent a t t he t ime. T he t entative c onclusions t o b e d rawn i s t hat t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits a re e quivalent t o n either c al t he

t he I pswichian n or H oxnian i nterglacials.

G eomorphologi-

g rounds p revent a ny c orrelation w ith t he C romerian d eposits o f S ugworth C hannel, t he i nsect f aunas o f w hich i n a ny c ase b ear

l ittle r esemblance

t o t hat

f rom S tanton H arcourt

( Briggs e t a l.

1 975;

S hotton e t a l. 1 980). T hus, t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits s eem t o b elong t o n one o f t he c lassic i nterglacial s tages o f t he B ritish Q uaternary s tratigraphic f ramework ( Mitchell e t a l. 1 973). T here

i s

o ne m ember o f t he f aunal a ssemblages a t

S tanton

Har-

c ourt, h owever, t hat a ppears t o h ave t he m akings o f a s tratigraphical i ndicator s pecies. A notylus g ibbulus i s a s mall, h ighly c haracterist ic s taphylinid b eetle t hat c an b e e asily r ecognised o n t he b asis o f h ead, t horax o r e lytron. d istinct, f or i t i s f ound

I ts p resent d ay d istribution i s c uriously i n n umbers i n t he C aucusus m ountains a nd a s

a s ingle i ndividual f rom e ast S iberia n orth o f V ladivostok ( Hammond e t a l., 1 979). I n t his a ssemblage a t S tanton H arcourt i t i s t he m ost a bundant s taphylinid s pecies, a s i t i s i n t hree o ther i nterglacial f aunas

f rom E ngland:

n amely,

M arsworth ( Green e t a l.

1 984),

A vely

a nd S toke G oldington . A lthough t his s pecies i s k nown f rom s everal f aunas t hat d ate f rom a round 4 3,000 y ears a go, i t i s a lways v ery r are a t

t hat

t ime.

I t

i s

a lmost

u nknown

f rom

a ny

w ell-established

I pswichian I nterglacial s ite ( one f ragment o nly f rom C orton, N orfolk), a nd t otally a bsent f rom a ny H oxnian I nterglacial d eposits. I t i s d ifficult t o a ccount f or t he e xtreme r arity o r a bsence o f t his s pecies

f rom

t hese

o ther

i nterglacial 1 50

f aunas

a s

a

r esult

o f

u nsuitable

h abitats,

s ince A .

g ibbulus

i s

a ssociated

w ith d ung w here

i t p reys u pon t he s maller a rthropods. I t i s t empting t o s ee i n t his a ssociation o f a bundant A . g ibbulus w ith a n o therwise t ypically E nglish b elong

i nsect t o t he

f auna e vidence t hat t hese f our i nterglacial s ites s ame p eriod w hich i s n either t he I pswichian n or t he

H oxnian i nterglacial. v .

S ummary T he

v arious

l ines

o f

e vidence

f or

t he a ge o f

t he

S tanton

H ar-

c ourt C hannel d eposits a re s ummarised i n F igure 4 4. B riefly, i t c an b e s hown t hat t he i nfilling o f t he C hannel o ccurred d uring a w arms tage 5 e)

p rior

y et

t o

t he I pswichian I nterglacial

a fter b oth

( = o xygen i sotope

t he C romerian I nterglacial

a nd

s ubstage

t he C halky

B oulder

C lay g laciation. T he i nsect e vidence - a nd t o a l esser e xtent n on-marine m olluscan f aunas - i ndicate t hat t his w arm-stage w as t he Hoxnian.

O n t he o ther h and,

f aunas

a ll

i ndicate

C hannel

a nd

t he

O n t his

b asis,

y et

u n-named

6 .3.4

a c lose

t he

i nsect,

v ertebrate

a nd molluscan

s imilarity b etween t he S tanton

i nterglacial

s ites

a t M arsworth a nd

t he S tanton Harcourt

C hannel

s eems

i nterglacial b etween t he H oxnian a nd

t he n ot

H arcourt

S toke G oldington. t o

r epresent

a n a s

I pswichian.

T he W olvercote C hannel, W olvercote T errace a nd Hanborough T errace C learly

o f

c onsiderable u ncertainty c ontinues

t he o lder

t he a rguments t hat

t he

n amed)

t errace a nd p resented

c hannel d eposits

a bove

a re v alid,

W olvercote C hannel

r elates

t o

s urround

i n t he U pper h owever,

i t

T he W olvercote T errace,

i n t urn,

t he p receding

c old-stage - t he W olstonian o f

l ogy.

i nterpretation

T his

M idland

s equence p ut

t he C halky

B oulder

t hus

f orward

b y

t o

T hese

C hannel

a nd

i ts

c an b e a ttributed

I t

i s

i f

i t

c ould

b e

o r w as

o lder

t han

s hown t hat

t ation w ould n eed r evision. C hannel a nd T errace c ould, i n a s

h as

b een n oted - f rom

i n

t o

c hrono-

a ccount

1 983b)

o f

t he

r egarding

a lso c onsistent t hat t he H ant he W olstonian

t he

t he

u pon e xplicit a ssumptions

r elationship

U ndeniably,

f or

( un-

A nglian c old-stage.

H oxnian a ge,

i ndirectly

t he

C hannel d eposits

a ccords w ith t he

S hotton ( 1976,

i nterpretations d epend

W olvercote

p ossible

t he e stablished

C lay a s W olstonian i n a ge.

t he p receding,

I f

s eems

w ith t he p roposal o f B riggs a nd G ilbertson ( 1973 a ,b) b orough T errace m ust r elate e ither t o a n e arly p art o f o r

a ge

t o a n e arly p hase o f

w arm-stage d uring w hich t he S tanton H arcourt

a ccumulated.

t he

T hames.

t o

t he

a bout

W olvercote

t he W olvercote C hannel w as

t he W olvercote T errace,

t his

t he

T errace. o f

i nterpre-

T he r elationship o f t he W olvercote f act, b e r elatively e asily a scertained, i nflux o f

f lints

- e ither

C halky B oulder C lay c an b e

d irectly

t raced

d own

o r t he

E venlode a nd C herwell valleys i nto t he W olvercote T errace d eposits. T he p resence o f s imilar f lint i n t he W olvercote C hannel w ould c onfirm t hat

i t

p ostdates

t he T errace;

t he

a bsence o f

t he C hannel p redates t he T errace g ravels. t ions o f t his v ital s ite a re r equired. 6 .4

f lint w ould

W ithout

d oubt,

i mply t hat n ew e xcava-

Q UATERNARY P ALAEO-ENVIRONMENTS A ND HUMAN O CCUPATION O F T HE U PPER T HAMES T he

c hronology o f

t errace a ggradation i ndicated

151

i n

F igs.

4 3 a nd

4 4

p rovides

a f ramework w ithin w hich t o

o ccupation o f t he i s

e xtent t ruly

m an.

A s

d ate

t he U pper T hames.

e xamine

t he

P alaeolithic

T he q uestion r emains,

h owever,

o f

t o w hich t he d istribution o f p alaeoliths i n t hese d eposits r epresentative o f t he d istribution a nd a ctivity o f e arly h as

b een

s uggested

m ay p resent a b iased

i n C hapter 2 ,

p icture o f

t he

t he a rtefacts s ituation d ue

r ecovered t o

t o

t he u neven

d istribution o f g ravel w orkings a nd o f a rchaeological i nterest. M oreover, t he p ossibility e xists t hat many o f t he i mplements a re n ot i n

s itu

T hus

b ut

R oe

c annot t hem'.

h ave b een r earranged

( 1976)

b e

s tated

d ated

C aution

i s

b y

t hat

s imple

r eference

c learly n ecessary

e vidence o f h uman o ccupation t o t heir t ic

e nclosing t o

s ediments.

a ssume

a rtefacts

a nd

t hat

t he

b y f luvial

a nd

o ther

t he a rtefacts a re m ostly

O n

t o

t he d eposits

t herefore i n

t he

t imes

a nd

t hat

t rying

t o

t he o ther h and

i t m ay b e

t he

i mplied b y

t oo p essimis-

e xists

O n t he w hole,

a nd

c ontain

r elate

e nvironments

n o d iscernible r elationship

t errace d eposits.

p rocesses. d erived

b etween

f or e xample,

t he i t

i s

a pparent t hat t he i mplements a re c onsiderably l arger t han t he s edim ents t hat e nclose o r u nderlie t hem. C onsequently, w hile t hey m ay h ave b een c oncentrated o n e roded s urfaces a s l ag d eposits a s t he f iner d ebris a round t hem w as r emoved, i t i s u nlikely t hat t he a rtef acts t he

t hemselves h ave b een m ost

p art

r esponsible

t ransported

t hey a re t oo

f or

e ntraining

l arge

a ny s ignificant d istance;

t o h ave b een m oved

a nd d epositing

b y

t he c hannel

t he a nd

f or f lows

t errace

g ravels. I t

f ollows

P alaeolithic

f rom

a ppreciation o f o f

t o m ic

o r r emoval

c onsider t heir

t he

o f

o n

t ypes t he

i .

t he

o f

t he d istribution o f

w e n eed

i ts

e nvironment

t o h ave a t he l ater

f irm

s tages

s uitability a s a h abitat

p rocesses w hich m ight F or

t his

f or

b e r esponsible

r eason,

r epresented

f or o ccupation a nd

a ssociated

I n t his c ontext,

s ense o f

t he a rea t hroughout

t he a rtefacts.

i mplications

i nfluences

t o m ake

b oth i n t erms o f

t he g eomorphological

t ransport a ssess

t hat,

i n t he U pper T hames,

t he c haracter o f

t he Q uaternary,

man a nd

t his

i mplements

i n

i t

f or

i s u seful

t he

a rea

t heir p otential

a nd

t aphono-

i mplements.

t hree main s ituations m ay b e r ecognised:

r iver

a ppear

t o

t errace g ravels - w hich h ave a ggraded

f or

t he

i n c old-stage

m ost

b raided

p art r iver

e nvironments; t he c hannel c iated t he

p hases

t errace t rimmed. 6 .4.1

T he r iver M uch

o f

i nfill d eposits - w hich a re g enerally a sso-

w ith w arm-stage m eandering o f d owncutting

a nd

r iver

s ystems;

d eposits w ere d issected

a nd

t he

o ur u nderstanding

h owever,

v alley

o f

t he p rocesses

a nd

e nvironments

f rom

e xamination o f b oth

f rom I t

o f

t errace d eposition.

T he

b ulk o f 1 52

o f

d etailed i s a ppa-

t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel

( Chapter 4 ) a nd t he H anborough T errace ( Briggs a nd G ilbertson a ,b) t hat e ssentially s imilar c onditions c haracterised a ll t he p hases

f loor

t errace g ravels

r iver t errace a ggradation i n t he U pper T hames c omes s tudies o f t he F loodplain T errace g ravels ( Chapter 3 ). r ent,

a nd

e rosion d uring w hich t he

t he g ravels

1 973 m ain

a ccumulated

i n

V1 v,)

.....

0 I

10

20

30

40

50

(metres)

Height above alluvium

Bedrock

�

..,,

Plateau Drift

ff%.D�

x

.)r

.)r

.)r

Floodplain

Cold -stage deposits

� �

.)r

.>;- ),-

Figure 44

)(

Stanton

Warm -stage deposits

�

x

x

Wolvercote Terrace .l( .l(

.l( ),-

.)r

x

>-

Re-interpretation of the terrace sequence of the Upper Thames (compare with Fig. 2)

x

1

Wolverc ote Channel

H anborough

)(

.)r

>-

.-,:

Plateau Drift

;,,

c old-stage,

b raided

C onditions

r iver

d uring

e nvironments.

t hese p hases o f a ggradation w ere

h arsh. W inters w ere l ong, p robably a s l ow a s 15 ° C .

u ndoubtedly

w ith t emperatures i n t he c oldest m onths S ummers w ere b rief, w ith t emperatures

r ising t o + 8-10 ° C , a nd d uring t he s pring e xtensive s nowmelt m ust h ave o ccurred, s welling t he s treams u ntil t hey f looded m uch o f t he v alley f loor. B y a nalogy w ith m odern b raided r iver s ystems, t he f loodplain i tself c an b e v isualised a s c onsisting o f f our m ain z ones: t he a ctive c hannel a rea, t he a rea o f s easonally f looded g ravel b ars, t he s emi-stable a bandoned b ars, a nd t he s table b ar-terrace ( Williams a nd

R ust

1 969).

O nly

t he l ast

t wo o f

t hese a re

l ikely

t o

h ave

c arried a ny p ermanent v egetation, a nd t hat p robably c onsisted f or t he m ost p art o f m osses, l ichens, g rasses, h erbs a nd s hrubs. T rees w ere a pparently a bsent, a nd many o f t he i nsects a nd m olluscs w ere p robably c oncentrated i n m ore s heltered p onds a nd p atches o f v egetation. A gain, a nalogies w ith m odern b raided-river e nvironments s uggest t hat t hese w ould h ave b een m ainly o n o r a djacent ( Briggs e t a l. 1 984). M ammals

s uch

a s m ammoth,

t o

t he b ar-terrace

w oolly r hinoceros a nd

a rea

r eindeer

w ere

p resent, b ut t he i naccessibility o f t he f loodplain f or l ong p eriods o f t he y ear - e ither b ecause o f t he s now-cover o r t he e xtensive f looding - m ust h ave l imited h uman a ctivity. T he e nvironment w as, a t b est, s uited o nly t o o ccasional h unting v isits f rom m ore s heltered, p ermanent b ases a nd i t i s h ighly u nlikely t hat A cheulian m an, i n a ny c ase, p ursued t he l arge, c old-climate a nimals. T his a lone a ccount f or m uch o f t he s parsity a nd d iversity o f a rtefacts i n

m ay t he

t errace g ravels. A t

t he

s ame t ime,

i n t he g ravels p rocesses. O n

i t

i s c lear t hat

t he i mplements

i ncorporated

m ay h ave b een s ubject t o a v ariety o f t he h illslopes, a ctive s olifluction w as

t aphonomic o ccurring,

t ransporting l arge v olumes o f s oil a nd o lder g ravels o nto t he e dge o f t he f loodplain. T hus, a rtefacts a bandoned o n t he s urface ( perhaps d uring p revious w armer p hases), o r b uried i n e arlier t errace g ravels, m ay h ave b een r eworked a nd m ixed w ith y ounger s ediments o n t he a ctive f loodplain . I n s ome c ases, i mplements m ay a lso h ave b een t ransported d ownstream, t hough f lows w ould o nly h ave b een s ufficient i n m ost c ases t o c arry t he s maller a rtefacts ( less t han a bout 1 0cm i n l ength), a nd e ven t hen o nly i n t he m ore p ermanent a nd l arger b raid c hannels w ithin t he a ctive z one o f t he f loodplain. N onetheless, i t i s a pparent t hat t he c old-stage t errace g ravels c ould i nclude d erived a nd r eworked a rtefacts, a s w ell a s m ore-or-less i n s itu s pecimens. I n b oth c ircumstances, h ave b een t he a reas a t e dges o f I t w ere

t he o ptimal l ocation f or p reservation w ould t he m argin o f t he f loodplain, o n o r a t t he

t he h ar terrace z one. i s

a t

a lso n otable

t imes

t hat . t he l ong p eriods o f

i nterupted b y e ven c older

t errace a ggradation

i nterludes,

d uring

w hich

l ittle d eposition o ccurred. O ne s uch p eriod s eems t o h ave p ersisted b etween 2 5,000 a nd 1 4,000 y ears a go d uring t he M id-Devensian, a nd c reated a n e xtensive h iatus i n t he F loodplain T errace g ravels. i ntervals w ere c haracterised b y e xcessively c old a nd h ostile

T hese c ondi-

t ions. B iological e vidence i s l acking, f or l ife s eems t o h ave a ll b ut d isappeared, a nd e ven d uring t he s ummers t emperatures p robably f luctuated

a round

f reezi .r; p oint;

t here w as 154

l ittle

s nowme it

a nd

s tream a ctivity a ll b ut p olar d esert. A t t hese

c eased. T he a rea m ust h ave b een a b arren, t imes, t herefore, t he e nvironment w as w holly

u nsuited t o h uman o ccupation, a nd n o i mplements a re l ikely t o f ound i n a ssociation w ith t he d eposits r elating t o t hese p hases. 6 .4.2

b e

T he c hannel i nfills

I n c ontrast t o t he e xtensive s preads o f t errace g ravels, t he c hannel i nfills a re l ocalised a nd r are. T hey a lso a ccumulated i n v ery d ifferent e nvironments. A ll t he c hannel d eposits - a t S ugworth, a t W olvercote, a t M agdalen C ollege, a t S tanton H arcourt a nd i n t he F loodplain T errace - r epresent w arm-stages i n t he Q uaternary. M oreo ver, i n e very c ase d eposition a ppears t o h ave o ccurred i n a s table, m eandering

c hannel.

C onditions a t t hese t imes m ust h ave b een m uch m ore c onducive t o h uman o ccupation. T emperatures w ere g enerally w arm - a s h igh i n m ost c ases a s t hose i n B ritain t oday - a nd t he c limate w as m ild a nd o ceanic. F or t he m ost p art, t here w as a g ood v egetation c over, w ith w oodland a long t he s tream-side a nd a reas o f m ore o pen g rassland o n t he s urrounding h ills. L arge h erbivores w ere a bundant a nd t here w as a d iverse i nsect a nd m ollusc f auna. T he o nly c onstraint, i f a ny, o n s ettlement i s l ikely t o h ave b een t he d enseness o f t he f orest i n s ome a reas, w hich m ay h ave r estricted h unting. N evertheless, o verall i t w as a n e nvironment w ell

s uited

t o e arly man.

O n t he o ther h and, t hese c onditions d id n ot f avour r eworking a nd r esorting o f t he a rtefacts. T he v egetation a nd r elatively d eeply w eathered s oil c over h elped s ediment t o t he s tream. v ariations

i n r unoff

a nd

t o s tabilise s lopes a nd r educe i nputs o f T he o ceanic c limate m inimised s easonal

p roduced

l ess

f lashy

s treams;

p eak

d is-

c harges ' w ould t hus h ave b een t oo s mall i n m ost c ases t o t ransport t he l arger h andaxes. T he m ain p rocess o f r eworking o f t he i mplements w as t hrough b ank-caving, a nd t he c ollapse o f m asses o f r iver-side a lluv ium i nto t he c hannel. T his m ay h ave h elped t o d isperse ( slightly) c oncentrations o f i mplements o n t he f loodplain ( for e xample, a s w ould h ave b een a ssociated w ith b utchery s ites); b ut i t w ould n ot h ave l ed t o a ny s ignificant m ixing o f m aterials f rom w idely d ifferent s ources. T his c ombination o f a b enign c limate a nd l ack o f f luvial r esorti ng o f t he i mplements m ay a ppear i deal f or t he p reservation o f a bund ant P alaeolithic r emains. A t a l ocal s cale t his i s t rue, b ut t he v ery n ature o f t he c hannel d eposits a lso m inimises t he c hance o f t heir d iscovery. T he c hannels t hemselves a re p reserved o nly r arely; t he a rtefacts w ithin t hem a re l ikely t o b e c oncentrated c lose t o t heir

o rigin a nd h ave n ot b een d ispersed

o ver w ider a reas a s

i n

t he

t errace g ravels. T he r esult i s t hat o nly o ccasionally a re w e l ikely t o c ome a cross P alaeolithic m aterials i n t hese s ituations; w hen w e d o,

h owever,

6 .4.3

t he l ikelihood

i s t hat

t hey w ill b e a bundant.

P hases o f e rosion M ost

o ccupation

o f i n

t he t he

e vidence

f or e nvironmental

U pper T hames d uring

t he

c onditions Q uaternary

a nd c omes

h uman f rom

f luvial d eposits. T he p eriods t hese d eposits r epresent, h nwevrr, a re J ar f rom t ypical o f t he w hlle s pan o f P alaeolitht 7 t ime I n L hr a rea. ' or l ong p eriods, t he v alley w as c learly s ubject t o e xtensive 4osion 5

w hen

t he

t errace g ravels w ere d issected

a nd,

p erhaps,

w hole s preads

o f g ravel w ere c ompletely r emoved. A lthough t hese p eriods a re n ot r epresented i n t he d epositional r ecord, t hey m ay n evertheless h ave b een s uitable f or h uman o ccupation . T he p roblem i s t hat, l acking d epositional e vidence, w e c an o nly s peculate a bout t he n ature o f t he e nvironment a t t hese t imes. T wo l ines o f e vidence s uggest t hat t hese p hases o f e rosion h ave b een a ssociated w ith r elatively m ild c limatic c onditions. f irst i s t he r elationship b etween t he F loodplain T errace a nd

m ay T he t he

m odern a lluvium . A s h as a lready b een n oted, i ncision o f t he T hames t hrough t he F loodplain T errace g ravels t o t he b ase o f t he m odern a lluvium s eems

t o h ave t aken p lace d uring F landrian t imes.

S econdly,

d ating o f t he g ravels a t t he b ase o f t he F loodplain T errace s hows t hat a ggradation c ommenced o n t he e roded O xford C lay s urface s oon a fter t he t hermal m aximum o f t he M id-Devensian I nterstadia l. T he i mplication i s t hat t he s urface w as f inally t rimmed d uring t his w arm i nterlude. S imilarly, i t m ay a lso b e n oted t hat l imited c hannel i ncision s eems t o h ave o ccurred d uring t he L ate-Devensian I nters tadial. I t i s t herefore t empting t o a rgue t hat m any o f t he p hases o f e rosion w ere a ssociated w ith s imilar w arm - t hough n ot n ecessarily f ully t emperate - e pisodes. T he c ausal m echanisms f or t hese p eriods o f e rosion r emain u nc ertain . I n i nland a reas s uch a s t he U pper T hames e rosion a nd d epos ition a re m ore l ikely t o b e r esponses t o c limatic c onditions a nd s ediment s upply t han t o v ariations i n s ea l evel. N et i ncision m ay g enerally b e t hought o f a s a r esponse t o a c ombination o f l imited s ediment s upply a nd h igh s tream d ischarges. T his, i n t urn, r equires t he p resence o f v egetation t o s tabilise t he f loodplain a nd v alley s ides, ' y et e ither h igh r ainfall a mounts o r s easonal s nowme n t o p rovide l arge v olumes o f r unoff. b e c onsidered t o i ndicate c ool,

I ntuitively, t hese c onditions m ay m oist p eriods n ot c old e nough f or

f rost a ction. I f t his i nterpretation i s c orrect, t hen i t m ay b e a ssumed t hat t he e nvironment i n t he U pper T hames v alley d uring t hese p eriods o f e rosion w ere e ssentially s uitable f or h uman p resence. I t m ay a lso b e a nticipated t hat m any o f t he i ndications o f o ccupation m ay b e p reserved, f loor, f or a gain i t

a lbeit i n a r eworked i s u nlikely t hat t he

b edrock t rimming w ere s ufficient

t o

s tate, o n t he e roded v alley s tream f lows r esponsible f or

r emove t he l arger

h andaxes.

B y

t he s ame t oken, h owever, t he l ag d eposits o n t hese s urfaces a re l ikely t o i nclude c oarse d ebris ( including p alaeoliths) l eft b ehind b y r emoval o f t he o lder g ravels w hich o nce e nclosed t hem. T hus, t he m aterials o n t he e roded b edrock s urfaces w ill i nclude a m ix o f a rtef acts ( and a ssociated a nimal r emains) f rom a r ange o f d ifferent s ources.

T he a rchaeological

p roblem w ill b e

t o

s eparate

t hese

i nto

t heir c onstituent g roups. 6 .5

P ALAEOLITHIC M AN I N T HE U PPER T HAMES:

A C HRONOLOGICAL A ND

E NVIRONMENTAL F RAMEWORK I n

t he

l ight

n ow p ossible U pper T hames a rea. c annot

o f

t he d iscuslion i n

t he p revious

s ect ons,

i t

t o r e-examine t he e vidence f or P alaeolithic m an i n a nd o utline t he g eneral s equence o f o ccupation i n

i s t he t he

I nevitably, m uch r emains t o b e l earned, a nd t he i nterpretatlJu b e d efinitive. 3 u h a n e xercise d oes m ore t har p resent

p icture o f

t hl g en2ral

' Et

o f

u nderstandiqg - , 1 56

h owever;

I t

a lso

p rovides h ighlight

a m odel w hich c an b e t ested b y f uture s tudies a nd h elps w here a ttention s hould b e f ocused i n t he f uture.

F igure

4 5

p resents a b asis

f or

t his a nalysis.

I t

s hows

r elationship b etween h andaxe f inds a nd t errace a nd c hannel i n t he U pper T hames. T wo a spects a re i mmediately a pparent: i .

t he

d eposits

i n g eneral, a rtefact f inds a re c oncentrated a t, t o, t he b ase o f t he t errace a nd c hannel d eposits; o ccur w ithin t he b ulk o f t he d eposits.

i i.

t o

o r c lose f ew f inds

t here i s n o o bvious t ypological s equence c orrelating t he d epositional s equence; i mplements o f r elatively f ined t echnology o ccur i n s ome o f t he o lder d eposits

w ith ' re( e.g.

t he W olvercote C hannel), w hile l ess r efined a rtefacts b e f ound i n s ome o f t he y ounger t errace g ravels. T hus,

a s

t ional f acts.

s equence i s

6 .5.1

T he Hanborough T errace T he

e arliest s ingle

h as b een s uggested c onfused

H anborough k nown

s ections,

a t

o f P alaeolithic m an i n a d epth o f 3 .7m ( and

t he o ccupa-

r eworking o f

T errace d eposits p rovide w hat i s

e vidence

h andaxe f ound

i n t he p receding

b y t he e ffects o f

c an

t he

a rte-

p ossibly

U pper

t hus c lose

t he

T hames: t o

t he

a b ase

o f t he t errace d eposits). T his w as o riginally r egarded A cheulian - a s m uch b ecause o f i ts a ssociation w ith

a s E arly s upposedly

H oxnian

G ilbertson

d eposits

a s

f or i ts i nherant

f orm .

B riggs a nd

( 1973a), h owever, s uggested t hat t he t errace g ravels m ight b e o f e arly W olstonian a ge, a nd o n t his b asis R oe ( 1976) a rgued t hat ' there i s n o l onger a ny n eed t o s tress i ts r ather t hick s ection a nd l ack o f s ymmetry t o p ush i t b ack i nto B reuil's ' Acheulian I ' o r ' Abbevillian' t o m atch a t errace o f ' Gunz-Mindel' ( Hoxnian) a ge.' N evertheless, t he e vidence p resented i n t his r eport i mplies t hat t he Hanborough T errace g ravels c ould b e o f g reater a ntiquity ( Fig. 4 4), i n w hich c ase i nterest I n

i s l ikely t o b e r evived.

e ither

e vent,

i t

i s c lear

t hat

t he b ulk

o f

t he

t errace

d eposits a ccumulated i n a c old-stage b raided r iver e nvironment. t he h andaxe i s c ontemporary w ith t errace a ggradation, t herefore,

I f i t

i s l ikely t o b e t he r esult o f a c hance l oss b y a r are h unting p arty. A lteratively, t he h andaxe c ould w ell h ave b een d erived f rom o lder d eposits o r l and s urfaces, p ossibly a ssociated w ith t he p receding w arm-stage. S ignificantly, n umerous v ertebrate r emains o f i nterg lacial a ffinity h ave b een r ecorded f rom t he b ase o f t he t errace g ravel,

a nd

t he h andaxe

( the e xact p rovenance o f w hich i s u ncertain)

c ould h ave b een a ssociated w ith t his l ag d eposit. I nevitably, h owe ver, t he s tatus o f h uman o ccupation c annot b e a ssessed o n t he b asis o f a s ingle i mplement. 6 .5.2

T he W olvercote T errace T he W olvercote T errace d eposits a ppear

t o h ave a ccumulated

i n

a

c old-stage, b raided r iver e nvironment, i nterupted a t t imes b y c older p eriods d uring w hich e xtensive c ryoturbation o ccurred. T he a ge i s n ot c ertain, b ut i t i s a pparent t hat t he g ravels w ere d eposited s oon a fter t he C halky B oulder C lay o f t he M idlands a nd V ale o f M oreton.

1 57

' UPPER '

F LOODPLA IN

' LO WER'

TERRACE

F LOODPLA IN

EYNSHA M

TERRACE

GRAVEL

STANTON

HARCOURT GRAVEL

STANTON

HARCOURT CHANNEL

W OLVERCOTE

CHANNEL

W OLVERCOTE

TERRACE

HANBOROUGH

TERRACE

Mouster ian L eva l lo is ian

SUG WORTH CHANNEL

P LATE AU 1 . 1 , ., , ure 4 5.

T he Q uaternary

L ate A cheu l ian

•

M idd le A cheu l ian

•

E ar ly Acheu lian

•

DR IFT s equence o f

t he U pper T hames

rel ationship w ith P alaeolithic 1 58

a rtefact

a nd

f inds.

i ts

O n t he b asis o f t he c lassic s equence o f t he M idlands ( Mitchell e t a l. 1 973; S hotton 1 976) t he g ravels w ould t hus b e r egarded a s W olstonian. F ew

a rtefacts h ave b een r ecovered

f rom t he g ravels,

e xcept

i n

c lose p roximity t o t he a ssociated W olvercote C hannel - a nd g iven t he u ncertainty a bout t he r elationship b etween t he t wo, i t r emains p oss ible t hat t hese i mplements w ere, i n f act, d erived f rom t he c hannel d eposits. T he m ain e xceptions a re a f ew A cheulian i mplements f rom P eartree H ill, n orth o f W olvercote ( Bell 1 904) a nd a f lint f lake f rom W olvercote i tself. A ll a re r olled, a nd i t m ay b e a ssumed t hat t hey h ave b een r eworked t o s ome e xtent. T hey t hus r eveal l ittle a bout P alaeolithic s ettlement a t t he t ime o f t errace a ggradation, b ut i t i s c lear t hat t he e nvironment a s a w hole w as s uitable o nly t ional a nd i mpermanent h unting v isits. 6 .5.3

f or

o cca-

T he W olvercote C hannel

I n F igs. 4 4 a nd 4 5, t he W olvercote C hannel r egarded a s o verlying, a nd b eing y ounger t han , T errace. t o t hat

i s t entatively t he W olvercote

T his i nterpretation f ollows S andford ( 1924), b ut i s c ounter o f B ishop ( 1958). T he u ncertainty o ver t he a ge o f t he

C hannel i s r egrettable, f or t he C hannel d eposits h ave y ielded s ome o f t he m ost i mportant a nd r efined P alaeolithic a rtefacts i n t he a rea. A lthough t he C hannel h as n ot b een e xposed

f or s ome t hirty y ears,

t he s tudies o f p lant macro-fossils b y B ell ( 1904) a nd t he e vidence o f t he v ertebrate a nd i nsect r emains s how t hat i nfilling o ccurred i n a c ool t emperate e nvironment. D uring t his p hase, t he v egetation w as a pparently d ominated b y m osses a nd h erbs, i ndicating a n o pen s treamb ank e nvironment.

L arge v ertebrates w ere p resent,

r emains o f h orse

a nd r ed d eer b eing c ommon. T he s tream a t t he t ime f lowed i n a m eandering c hannel, s ome 6 0-65m i n w idth. L ater, a s t he c limate p erhaps d eteriorated, t he c hannel a ppears t o h ave b een a bandoned, a nd a t s ome p oint i n t ime s till-water s ediments a ccumulated. F inally, t he c hannel w as b lanketed w ith a h ead d eposit, r eflecting s olifluct ion, h illwash a nd p ossibly a eolian a ctivity i n a p eriglacial c limate. M ost

o f

t he a rtefacts d erive f rom t he b ase o f

t he c hannel,

a nd

may t hus p redate t he majority o f t he i nfill d eposits. I t i s c lear, h owever, t hat t he e nvironment d uring c hannel i nfilling w as s uitable f or h uman o ccupation, a nd t here i s e very r eason t o b elieve t hat t he a rtefacts a re m ore-or-less i n s itu. T hey t hus p rovide a c lear i ndic ation o f t he c ontemporaneous p resence o f P alaeolithic m an i n t he a rea. M oreover, t he a rtefacts t hemselves a re u ndoubtedly p art o f a c onsistent i ndustry o f l ate A cheulian a ge. 6 .5.4

T he S tanton Harcourt C hannel

T he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits a ccumulated i n a w arms tage e nvironment, a s p art o f a m eandering s tream s ystem . T he a ge o f t he C hannel i s n ot b eyond d ispute, b ut t he b iological a nd m orphos tratigraphic

e vidence i ndicate t hat i nfilling o ccurred

d uring

t he

l atter p art o f a n i nterglacial b etween t he I pswichian a nd H oxnian. I t i s p ossible t hat t his m ay b e a l ater p hase i n t he s ame w arm-stage d uring w hich

t he W olvercote C hannel d eposits w ere l aid d own.

1 59

I t a lso

s eems

l ikely

t hat

t he

s ame w arm-stage

i s

r epresented

b y

c hannel

d eposits

a t M arsworth a nd

A t p resent

t his t ime t he T hames f lowed s ome 2 km t o t he w est o f i ts c ourse. T he c limate w as w arm, w ith s ummer t emperatures

s imilar

t o

t hose

i n

S toke G oldington i n Huntingdonshire.

s outhern B ritain t oday

maritime c onditions.

a nd

w ith

e ssentially

T he b ankside v egetation w as v aried,

w ith t all

g rasses, r eeds a nd s edges a nd l ocal b are a reas. m oister l and w as c lothed w ith h erb-rich g rassland,

F urther a way, t he w hile t he d rier,

s andy

m ammals

s oils

m ammoth,

s upported

h orse a nd

A s

s uch,

o ccupation. c hannel

t he T he

d eposits

s urprising.

h eather

l ion w ere

a nd

o aks.

L arge

e nvironment m ust h ave b een l ack

i s

o f

i ncluding

a bundant. s uitable

f or

a rtefacts d efinitely a ssociated

t herefore d isappointing,

A s h as b een a rgued

t hough

p reviously,

h uman

w ith

n ot,

t he

p erhaps,

t he c hances o f

f inding

i mplements w ithin o ne, l ocal s ection o f a c hannel a re r elatively s mall. F urther s ections o f t his c hannel - s hould t hey b e a vailable a nd

s tudies o f

d eposits

s imilar c ontexts b eneath t he S ummertown-Radley T errace

e lsewhere

i n t he a rea,

may w ell

r eveal

f irm

e vidence

o f

h uman o ccupation. 6 .5.5

T he S tanton Harcourt G ravel F ollowing

i nfilling

o ccurred o verbank

a p hase d eposits

s urface,

a nd

o f

t he S tanton

H arcourt

o f e rosion d uring w hich t he a nd b edrock s urface w ere

C hannel,

c hannel t rimmed.

t here

s ediments O n t his

i n t he g ravels w hich a ccumulated d irectly u pon

i t,

i s

f ound a w idely s cattered a nd d iverse c ollection o f a rtefacts. T hese i nclude 1 4 i mplements f ound a t S tanton Harcourt i tself, a n u nspecif ied

p roportion

u nkown , p art

o f

o f

t he 2 9 a rtefacts

t he 2 05 f rom B erinsfield.

a re o f M iddle A cheulian a ffinity, s howing

f rom I ffley,

l ater i nfluences.

a nd

A s a w hole,

a

t hese a rtefacts

t hough w ith a n umber o f

T heir p osition o n,

s imilarly

o r c lose

i mplements

t o,

a n e roded

b edrock s urface, h owever, p recludes t he f irm a ssumption t hat t hey r epresent a h omogeneous a ssemblage, r elating t o a s ingle p hase o f o ccupation. M any o f t he i mplements m ay h ave b een l et d own o nto t his s urface f rom o lder d eposits d uring i ncision o f t he T hames t hrough t he W olvercote p redate

T errace

g ravels.

t he a rtefacts

d ifficult

t o

e nvisage

i n t his w ay, r epresent

a nd

i t

T hus,

s ome o f

t he

f rom W olvercote i tself. a ll

i s

t he p alaeoliths

t empting

a s

t o s uggest

t he

a ctivity

o f m an i n

t ime,

h owever,

c limatic

i mplements

a p roduct

t hat

t he a rea

c ould

N evertheless, s ome,

d uring

o f a t

t he

i t

i s

r eworking l east,

m ay

p eriod

o f

e rosion. I n m ust

h ave c hanged,

G ravel m ent.

a nd

l ocal v egetational

f or d owncutting c eased

a nd

c onditions

t he S tanton

Harcourt

b egan t o a ccumulate i n a c old-stage, b raided r iver O nce m ore, r elatively f ew h uman a rtefacts a re f ound

g ravels,

d ue

i n

p art

t o

t he i nhospitability o f

e nvironi n t hese

t he e nvironment

a t

t ime o f a ggradation. A s i n o ther c old-stages, t he U pper T hames t o h ave b een c haracterised b y e xposed, t reeless c onditions, a ctive

s olifluction o n t he h illslopes

s pring

s nowmelt.

m an

T he

p robably e ntered

v isits d uring m ore

a nd

e xtensive

c limate w as h arsh a nd t he a rea o nly f or

f loods d uring

c ontinental.

t he p urpose o f

f avourable p eriods.

1 60

t he

s eems w ith t he

O nce m ore,

b rief

h unting

6 .5.6

T he E ynsham G ravel

A fter d eposition o f t he S tanton H arcourt G ravel, t here w as a pparently a f urther p eriod o f e rosion, d uring w hich t he b raided r iver d eposits w ere l ocally i ncised b y m eandering s treams. T hese c hannels w ere t hen i nfilled i n t he l ater s tages o f t he I pswichian I nterglacial. R esults f rom n ew e xcavations a t M agdalen C ollege, O xford, s how t hat t he l ocal e nvironment c omprised g rassland a nd o pen w oodland. T he n umerous f inds o f m ammalian b ones r eported b y S andford ( 1924)

a nd D ines

( 1946)

a lso s how t hat l arge v ertebrates w ere c ommon,

a nd i n g eneral i t s eems t hat t he c onditions w ould h ave b een s uitable f or h uman o ccupation. T he d irect e vidence f or P alaeolithic m an c omes f rom a l arge n umber o f a rtefacts f ound i n t he g ravels t hroughout O xford, a t I ffley, a nd a round A bingdon a nd R adley ( Table 1 ). T aken t ogether t hese a re s omewhat m ixed, w ith M iddle a nd L ate A cheulian a ffinities r ecognisable. I t t herefore s eems l ikely t hat s ome o f t he i mplements m ay h ave b een i ncorporated f rom o lder d eposits o r l and s urfaces. N evertheless, f luvial c onditions d uring a ggradation o f t he E ynsham G ravel s eem t o h ave g enerally b een u nsuitable f or e xtensive r eworking o f c oarse d ebris, a nd t he m ajority o f t he h andaxes m ust b e r egarded a s b eing m ore-or-less i n s itu. f resh c ondition o f many o f t he i mplements. ' refinement l imitations

T his i s e videnced b y t he I n t his c ase, t he l ack o f

s hown b y s ome o f t he t ools i s l ikely t o r eflect t he o f t he a vailable s tone, r ather t han a ny t echnological

I nadequacy. 6 .5.7

T he F loodplain T errace R enewed

i ncision a fter a ggradation o f

t he E ynsham G ravel

o ccur-

r ed d uring t he E arly D evensian a nd t he e arly p art o f t he M id-Devens ian I nterstadial. A t t he e nd o f t his p hase, t he T hames h ad c ut a b edrock s urface s ome 1 5-20m b elow t he l evel o f t he E ynsham G ravel. A s i n e arlier t imes, t his s urface a cted a s a l ocus f or t he a ccumulat ion o f a r ange o f a rtefacts, m ost n otably a t B erinsfield. T hese

i mplements a re,

a gain,

v aried

i n

t heir

a ffinity,

i nclude M iddle a nd L ate A cheulian a nd L evalloisian m aterials.

a nd

I nevi-

t ably, s ome o f t hese m ust r epresent a rtefacts d erived f rom t he o lder d eposits a nd l and s urfaces a ssociated w ith t he S ummertown-Radley T errace g ravels. M any o f t he i mplements a re i n r elatively f resh c ondition, l east p hase

i n o f

d istinct A s

h owever,

a nd

t here s eems

i ndustry i n t he a rea d uring e ver,

c ollected

l ittle d oubt

t hat

t hey r elate a t

p art t o o ccupation o f t he a rea c ontemporaneous w ith t he d owncutting. T he L evalloisian a rtefacts m ay r eflect a

i t i s d ifficult

u pon a n e roded

t his p hase.

t o a ttach d ates

s urface,

t o m aterials w hich h ave

b ut a ggradation o f

t he

o verlying

g ravels i s k nown t o h ave c ommenced i n t he l atter p art o f t he M idD evensian I nterstadial. F inal t rimming o f t he s urface ( including, p resumably, t he r emoval o f a ny a lluvium) i s t herefore l ikely t o h ave o ccurred s oon b efore t hat t ime. A gain i t c an b e n o m ore t han s pecul ation a t p resent, b ut i t m ay b e s uggested t hat, d uring t he t hermal m aximum w arm a s

o f t he M id-Devensian I nterstadial, w hen t he c limate w as a s n ow a nd g ame a bundant, L evalloisian man w as p resent i n t he

U pper T hames. O nly f urther s trength t o t his p ostulation.

f inds o f L evalloisian a spect

1 61

c an

a dd

T hroughout

m uch o f

t he n ext 3 0 ,000 y ears,

c onditions

i n t he a rea

w ere o nce m ore r elatively i nhospitable a nd h ostile. T he T hames r everted t o a b raided f orm a nd t hick s preads o f g ravel a ccumulated o n t he f loodplain. M ean a nnual t emperatures f ell t o b elow 6 °C a nd t he c limate w as s everely c ontinental, w ith l ong, c old w inters a nd b rief, c ool s ummers. A lthough m ammals c ontinued t o o ccupy t he a rea, m an s eems

t o h ave b een a r are v isitor.

I ndeed,

b y a bout 2 5,000

y ears

B .P., t he c limate h ad d eteriorated t o s uch a n e xtent t hat l ittle i f a ny l ife s urvived i n t he a rea. T hereafter, t here w as a l ong p hase w hen p ermafrost g ripped

t he a rea u ntil,

a bout 1 4,000 y ears B .P.,

t he

c limate a gain i mproved. B riefly, d uring t he e arly p art o f t he L ateD evensian I nterstadial, t he s treams r eturned t o am eandering f orm a nd i ncised i nto t he g ravels. T hen, w ith t he o nset o f c older c onditions a gain i n t he L och L omond s tadial, g ravel a ccumulated o nce m ore i n a b raided r iver e nvironment. F inally, a t t he s tart o f t he F landrian ( ca. 1 0 ,000 y ears B .P.), a nother s udden c limatic a melioration o ccurr ed. A r ich v egetation c over r apidly b ecame e stablished, s tabilising t he l and s urface a nd r educing s ediment i nputs t o t he s tream . B y 9 ,500 y ears a go t he T hames h ad o nce m ore a dopted a m eandering f orm a nd c ut b road c hannels i n t he s urface o f t he g ravels. T hese, i n t urn, w ere i nfilled, b efore t he r iver c ut t hrough t he g ravels t o t he b ase o f t he m odern a lluvium . S ince t hen, t his a lluvium h as a ccumul ated

a s o verbank d eposits a ssociated w ith a s table, meandering

r iver

s ystem. L ittle i s k nown a bout t he s tatus o f h uman o ccupation d uring t his l ong p eriod o f t errace a ggradation b efore 1 0 ,000 B .P. C ertainly t he e nvironment w as,

i n g eneral,

s uitable o nly f or b rief a nd

i nfrequent

h unting v isits a nd, a s i n a ll t he c old-stage r iver g ravels, i mplem ents a re i nevitably s carce. T he t wo M ousterian b out-coupe h andaxes f ound i n t he a rea m ay a ttest t o t he o ccasional a ppearance o f M iddle P alaeolithic m an i n t he a rea. T he p recise r elationship o f t hese i mplements t o t he t errace g ravels r emains u ncertain, h owever, a nd i t i s s afe t o s uggest o nly t hat i t w as n ot u ntil M esolithic t imes t hat a ny f orm o f p ermanent s ettlement w as a gain e stablished i n t he U pper T hames. 6 .6.

C ONCLUSIONS T his

o utline

o f P alaeolithic e nvironments

a nd

o ccupation

i s

c learly n ot d efinitive a nd i n many p arts r emains h azy a nd u ncertain. M uch o f t his u ncertainty i s d ue t o t he p roblems o f d ating a nd c hronos tratigraphic c orrelation o f t he d eposits a nd e rosional e vents i n t he U pper T hames. I n p articular, c onsiderable d ifficulties s urround t he I nterpretation o f t he W olvercote C hannel a nd T errace. N onetheless, t he r esearch o utlined i n t his r eport h as a llowed a t entative i nterp retation o f t he t errace a nd c hannel s equence i n t he a rea w hich m ay b e u sed a s i n F ig. 4 4.

am odel t o b e t ested b y f uture w ork. T his i s s ummarised O f s pecific s ignificance i s t he s uggestion t hat e vidence

e xists i n t he U pper T hames f or a n b etween t he H oxnian a nd I pswichian.

a s y et u n-named i nterglacial T his i s r epresented i n t he a rea

b y t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel d eposits, a nd s eems t o c orrelate w ith t he w arm-stage r ecently r ecognised a t M arsworth i n H untingdonshire ( Green e t a l. 1 984). I n a ddition, i t i s s uggested t hat t he W olverc ote C hannel m ay r elate t o t he e arly p art o f t his w arm-stage, t hough n ew e xcavations a re r equired a t W olvercote t o c onfirm t his i nterpret ation. 1 62

T he p alaeo-environmental i nvestigations o f t he t errace a nd c hannel d eposits a lso p rovide a n e nvironmental f ramework w ithin w hich t o i nterpret t he a rchaeological m aterials. F rom t he r esults o f t his w ork i t i s s uggested t hat t he a rea w as o nly s uitable f or a ny f orm o f p ermanent s ettlement d uring t he r elatively b rief w arm-stages r epres ented d uring

b y t he c hannel i nfills a nd t he p hases o f r iver d owncutting; p eriods o f t errace a ggradation t he e nvironment w as, w ith t he

e xception o f s hort t emperate i nterludes, i nhospitable a nd h arsh, a nd o ccupation m ust h ave b een c onfined t o b rief v isits b y g roups o f h unters, S imilarly, i nterpretation o f t he f luvial e nvironments h as a llowed a n a ssessment o f t he l ikely i nfluences o f t aphonomic p rocess es o n t he P alaeolithic a rtefacts p reserved i n t he t errace a nd c hannel d eposits. T his, i n t urn, h as p ermitted t he r e-evaluation o f t he a rchaeological e vidence a nd h elped t o i dentify d erived, a s o pposed t o c ontemporaneous, g roups o f a rtefacts. A r ecognisable s equence o f o ccupation i s t hus e merging w hich c an f orm a b asis f or f uture s tudies. A part f rom t he W olvercote C hannel, s uch s tudies m ight m ost p rofitably c oncentrate o n l ocalities y ielding d eposits c orrelating w ith t he S tanton H arcourt C hannel a nd E ynsham G ravel, a nd t he t rimmed b edrock s urfaces a nd, s its b eneath t he c old-stage A bove

a ll,

h owever,

w here a s earch may b e made,

d epo-

t errace g ravels. t his r esearch h as d emonstrated

t he

l arge

g aps w hich r emain i n o ur k nowledge w hen a rchaeologists, g eomorpholog ists a nd p alaeontologists w ork s eparately f rom e ach o ther, a s t hey h ave o ften d one i n t he p ast; a nd t he b enefits w hich c an b e g ained w hen t hey w ork t ogether. T he r equirement i s f or c lose, m ulti-discipl inary s tudies o f h uman a rtefacts a nd t heir c ontextual m aterials s o t hat t he e vidence f or m an c an b e s tripped o f i ts t aphonomic o verp rint, a nd r elated m ore d irectly t o t he e nvironment o f d eposition a nd i ts g eological t imescale. T he n eed f or s uch w ork i n t he U pper T hames i s p aramount. T here i s m uch y et t o b e l earned a nd, w ithout d oubt, t he a rea i s v ital t o o ur u nderstanding o f o ur P alaeolithic h istory.

1 63

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T he

s edimentology o f

J ournal o f S edimentary P etrology 3 9,

1 968

a b raided

6 49-679.

L ower P alaeolithic a rchaeology i n B ritain a s r epre-

s ented b y t he T hames V alley.

L ondon :

J ohn B aker.

A DDENDUM:

W hile t his i nto

N EW E XPOSURE

r eport w as b eing

t he Q uaternary s equence

I N T HE W OLVERCOTE C HANNEL

p rinted,

i n

f urther

i nsight w as

t he U pper T hames w ith t he

y ielded

d iscovery

b y D JB o f a n ew s ection i n t he W olvercote C hannel a t i ts t ype s ite i n W olvercote, O xford. T he e xposure w as p rovided b y e xcavations f or a h ouse a n

o n t he e astern b ank o f

o rnamental

l ake)

a nd w as

t he o riginal W olvercote b rick p it t hus

l ocated

a t

( now

t he e astern e dge o f

t he

c hannel. A lthough o nly s mall ( ca. 2 CM x 2 0m) t he e xposure w as e xtremely i nformative, a nd c onfirmed i n a lmost a ll r espects t he d esc riptions o f t he c hannel g iven b y S andford ( 1924). A f ull a ccount w ill b e p resented e lsewhere, b ut t he e vidence i s b riefly s ummarised h ere. A s n oted,

t he

s equence

s hown b y

t he c hannel m atches c losely t hat

d escribed b y p revious w orkers a nd o utlined o n p ages 1 41-4 o f t his r eport. A t t he b ase o f t he s ection i s 0 .5-0.8m o f c layey g ravel, l et d own i nto d epressions i n t he u nderlying O xford C lay. T he g ravel i s o verlain b y 1 .0-1.5m o f s and a nd s andy g ravel, l ocally i ndurated, w hich t his

i s

t runcated

a t

t he

t op b y a marked

s urface o ccurs 2 .0-2.5m o f

c layey

f ine s and

e rosional a nd

s ilt,

s urface. a nd

a bout

A bove 1 .0m o f

' cover l oam'.

U nfortunately, n either v ertebrate r emains n or a rtefacts w ere d iscovered i n t he s ection, b ut s tone c ounts d emonstrate c onclusively t hat

t he

g ravel

c hannel d eposits

f raction).

p ost-date

t he

T his

i ntroduction o f

C lay o f t he M idlands a nd W olvercote T errace. T he I nterpretation o f T errace, t ent

b ut

w ith

t he

a re r ich

i s

i n f lint

i n t urn s hows f resh

t hat

f lint

( often

1 5-20%

o f

t he

t he c hannel d eposit m ust f rom

t he

C halky

i mplies t hat t hey a re y ounger e vidence t herefore s upports

B oulder

t han t he S andford's

t he r elationship b etween t he W olvercote C hannel

c ounter

t entative

t o

t hat

o f

B ishop ( 1958).

i nterpretations

p roposed

I t

i s

a nd

a lso c onsis-

i n t his

r eport

( page

s amples

f rom

1 43). P alynological t he

s ands

i s

o f

w ith

a nd

i nvestigations w ere c arried

s ilts.

P ollen i s

a p rogressive c ooling a t ree-covered

o f

e nvironment

s carce,

b ut

o ut

t he c limate d uring ( dominated

o n

t he g eneral

c hannel

b y P inus)

e vidence

t herefore m atches

r epresent N o l east

a nd

a l ate

b eetles

p hase

d eposits.

T here

t he v ery i s

s uggests

i n a t emperate

f irm i ndication o f b ecause o f

t he e arlier a nd

a ge i s s mall

n othing

i nterpretations t hat

r eplaced

L anceolata, T he p ollen o f

t he d eposits

t he

p lant

a s a

w hole

s tage.

p rovided n umbers i n

f illing,

b eing

b y m ore o pen c onditions, i n w hich A rmeria, P lantago, C henopodiaceae a nd, e ventually, E ricaceae f lourished. mrro-fossils

i mplication

t he

1 75

b y t he p ollen,

o f

i n p art

p ollen p reserved

a ssemblages

t o

i n

s uggest

a t t he a

c orrelation w ith a ny p articular s tage i n t he Q uaternary, t he c haracteristic

i ndicators o f t he C romerian ,

a nd

H oxnian,

n one o f

I pswichian

( s.s.) o r ' Marsworth' i nterglacial s tages a re p resent. O n p alynol ogical g rounds a lone, t herefore, t he W olvercote C hannel m ay r elate t o a l ate p hase o f a ny o ne o f t hese i nterglacials, o r t o a nother a s y et

u nrecognised w arm-stage.

N or c an i t b e

s aid w ith c ertainty t hat

t he c hannel d eposits r epresent a s ingle a nd c ontinuous p hase o f i nfilling, f or t he e rosional b reak b etween t he i ndurated s ands a nd t he o verlying s ilts i s o f u nknown d uration. T he p ossibility r emains t hat t he s ilts a nd c over l oam r elate t o a m uch l ater p hase o f i nfill ing, f ollowing s couring o f t he o riginal c hannel d eposits. W hat i s c lear, h owever, i s t hat t he c hannel w as i nitially i nfilled i n a t emperate e pisode s ome t ime a fter a ggradation o f t he W olvercote T errace,

a nd

t hat

d uring

i nfilling

t he

c limate

b ecame

m arkedly

c ooler. F urther s tudies a re c urrently b eing u ndertaken o f t he c hannül m aterials, a nd J oyce T yldesley ( from t he B aden P owell Q uaternary R esearch C entre) i s r e-examining t he a rtefacts U ltimately, t herefore, a f uller r e-evaluation o f C hannel

s hould

b e p ossible.

f rom t he

t he s ite. W olvercote