Wansunt Pit
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TQ514736 | — | Unfavourable No Change | 0.5 | 2010-10-27 |
| TQ515738 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 1.44 | 2023-02-06 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Quaternary
Description
Area, 1.91 ha. 4.72 Description This site provides exposures in the Dartford Heath Gravel, a deposit which has been the subject of considerable controversy since the turn of the century. It has been variously attributed to the Boyn Hill Terrace, part of the Swanscombe sequence or to an older, higher terrace. The presence or absence of archaeological material in the gravel itself is questionable, but a working floor of Acheulian age has been discovered in loam overlying the gravel in Wansunt Pit. The question of whether or not the Dartford Heath gravel is equivalent to any part of the Swanscombe sequence and what its relationship is to the Thames Terraces, is one of the more burning issues in the Thames Pleistocene studies and therefore the exposures here are of considerable importance.