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Late middle pleistocene interglacial deposits at upper strensham, worcestershire, england
Author(s) -
de Rouffignac C.,
Bowen D. Q.,
Coope G. R.,
Keen D. H.,
Lister A. M.,
Maddy D.,
Robinson J. E.,
Sykes G. A.,
Walker M. J. C.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.3390100104
Subject(s) - geology , fluvial , pleistocene , interglacial , floodplain , fauna , early pleistocene , paleontology , flora (microbiology) , terrace (agriculture) , archaeology , geography , ecology , cartography , structural basin , biology , bacteria
Pleistocene deposits containing the disarticulated skeleton of a mammoth, and associated faunal and floral remains, were discovered in July 1990 at Upper Strensham, Worcestershire. The environmental evidence from the fauna and flora together with limited geological evidence, indicates that the deposits accumulated within a low energy fluvial environment with a surrounding marsh and restricted tree cover on, or close to, the floodplain. The patchy occurrence of trees in a species‐rich grassland is discussed, and the climatic significance of the fauna and flora is considered. The Strensham site lies within the valley of the River Avon, which is known to contain at least five altitudinally distinct river terraces. The deposits at Strensham lie beneath a terraced surface that cannot be accommodated within the existing framework of terrace development in the valley, and evidence is presented which may suggest that these deposits form a previously unrecognised fluvial unit, the Strensham Member of the Avon Valley Formation. Amino‐acid age estimates from shells taken from the fossiliferous sediments of the Strensham Member suggest a correlation with Oxygen Isotope Stage 7. This correlation suggests that the temperate deposits at this site should be correlated with the temperate phase recorded at Marsworth, Buckinghamshire and Stoke Goldington in the valley of the Great Ouse.