Purfleet Road, Aveley
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TQ555798 | — | Favourable | 0.98 | 2009-02-12 |
| TQ556799 | — | Unfavourable No Change | 3.0 | 2010-10-04 |
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Quaternary
Description
Description At Purfleet Road, Aveley interglacial deposits of the Thames terrace system have been recorded. The deposits form part of the Mucking formation which comprises Upper and Lower Mucking Formation Gravels separated by the Aveley Silts and Sands. The Aveley Silts and Sands have yielded important assemblages of molluscs, insects, pollen and mammal remains which are indicative of temperate, or interglacial, conditions. The sediments at Purfleet Road have been correlated with those at the original Aveley site at Sandy Lane where the remains of two straight tusked elephants Palaeoloxodon antiquus and one woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius were unearthed during quarrying in the 1960's. Purfleet Road, Aveley is an important site for examining the extent of the Mucking Formation Gravels, the age of the deposits and their correlation with other Quaternary sites in the Thames Basin and East Anglia. Originally the deposits were believed to be Ipswichian in age, but recent research suggests that the lack of Hippopotamus amphibius and the abundance of Equus ferus dates deposition of the sequence to Oxygen Isotope Stage 7. In addition recent excavations have added five new taxa to the species list at Aveley, including Felischaus jungle cat which is a first record of this animal in the British Isles. The archaeological importance of this site has yet to be determined, but the presence or absence of man at Aveley is an important factor in determining the age of these deposits. A site of national importance for the study of Quaternary environments and climates.