Little Oakley Channel Deposit
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM223296 | — | Favourable | 2.95 | 2024-03-08 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Quaternary
Description
Area,30.0 hectares 74.0 ac Description Little Oakley Channel Deposit provides a reserve of Pleistocene interglacial channel fill sediments, unique in Britain and currently attributed to part of the Cromerian complex of interglacials recognised in the Netherlands. Excavations and borings at Little Oakley have yielded abundant faunal and floral remains, including numerous mammalian bones many of extinct species, molluscs, ostracods, as well as a fine pollen record. The site is of great importance for Quaternary studies, not only because it seems to represent an early Middle Pleistocene interglacial unknown elsewhere in Britain, but also because it is associated with the early Thames drainage system and therefore assists in the establishment of a link between the Pleistocene successions in the Thames Valley and East Anglia.