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Adrian M. Lister - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Metric analysis of ungulate mammals in the early Middle Pleistocene of Britain, in relation to taxonomy and biostratigraphy: I: Rhinocerotidae and Bovidae
Quaternary International, 2010Co-Authors: Marzia Breda, S.e. Collinge, Simon A. Parfitt, Adrian M. ListerAbstract:The taxonomy and biostratigraphic significance of horses (Equus), deer (Capreolus, Dama, Cervus, Cervalces, Praemegaceros, Megaloceros) and pigs (Sus) from key British early Middle Pleistocene sites are investigated using a biometric approach. The sites compared are West Runton (type Cromerian), Pakefield, Little Oakley, Westbury-sub-Mendip, and Boxgrove. The samples include a significant amount of previously undescribed material. Stenonid horses dominate at Pakefield and West Runton, caballines at Westbury and Boxgrove, corresponding to the Mimomys/Arvicola division. The deer of Boxgrove include relatively large roe and small red deer, the latter distinguishing it from the Westbury Pink Breccia. The poorly-known giant deer Praemegaceros dawkinsi spans both the Mimomys (Little Oakley, Pakefield) and Arvicola (Boxgrove) zones of the Cromerian Complex. There is a marked shift in cervid abundance from predominant megacerines (Mimomys zone) to predominant red deer (Arvicola zone).
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The West Runton Freshwater Bed and the West Runton Mammoth: Summary and conclusions
Quaternary International, 2010Co-Authors: Anthony J. Stuart, Adrian M. ListerAbstract:1. IntroductionThis paper aims to synthesize the main conclusions from thevariouscontributionstothisissuecoveringthepalaeoenvironment,palaeoclimate and age of the West Runton Freshwater Bed (WRFB),as well as the life and death of the West Runton Mammoth (WRM)itself.Selectedpreviousresearchisalsobrieflydiscussed.Thewealthand breadth of the available information for the WRFB is almostunprecedented for any Pleistocene site. Although there are somerelativelyminordifferencesininterpretation,forthemostpartthereis verygood agreement between the various lines of evidence.For completeness, several mammalian taxa not otherwiseconsidered in this volume are included in Table 1, which lists thecomplete vertebrate fauna so far recorded from the WRFB.2. Sediments and depositional environmentAsdiscussedbyGibbardetal.(2010),FieldandPeglar(2010)andMaul and Parfitt (2010), West (1980) described a composite vege-tational sequence pieced together from pollen and plant macro-fossil assemblages at several localities along the WRFB exposure.He distinguished a Beestonian late glacial cold assemblage (l Be) atthe base of the sequence, succeeded by a series of Cromeriantemperate/interglacial assemblages (pollen subzones Cr Ia, Cr Ib, CrIIa and Cr IIb, of the Cromerian Interglacial). Although the entiresequence is not present at any one place, and the depositsundoubtedly include hiatuses and some reworking (see Gibbardet al., 2010), the various phases of vegetational development ofthe first part of the Cromerian are represented. However, siltshigherinthecliffwestofWestRuntonGap,whichWestassignedtothe second half of the Cromerian interglacial, almost certainlybelong to a distinct, younger episode (Zagwijn, 1996; Preece andParfitt, 2000).Gibbard et al. (2010) consider that the WRFB sediments weredeposited in a fluvial valley-floor accumulation, at least 100 mwide, which trended west to east, sub-parallel to the modern cliffline. The internal sequence of the WRFB is highly complex andshows considerable lateral and vertical discontinuity of individualunits, representing widely varying rates of deposition and hiatusesduetonon-depositionand/orsubsequenterosion. The depositionalbasin was subject to episodes of flooding on the one hand andperiodic drying out on the other. Nevertheless, Gibbard et al.consider that as a whole the WRFB represents the late part of theBeestonian and the first half of the Cromerian interglacial, which isconsistent with the pollen sequence described byWest (1980). Thisinterpretation implies that the composite WRFB sequence spansseveral thousand years, although there was never continuity ofdeposition at any one location.According to Gibbard et al. deposition of theWRFB began duringthelate-glacial partof theBeestonian cold stage, infilling an unevengravel surface that was inherited from a pre-existing braided cold-climate stream, and continued into the first half of a temperate-climate, interglacial event (the Cromerian Stage s.s.). Initial activestreamchannelswerefollowedbylowerenergyconditionsinwhichfine-grained silt was deposited in standing water, punctuated byshort intermittent flood events which washed in sand, while localerosion of channel banks and floors also occurred. Subsequentdecreased flood intensity resulted in vertical accretion of fine-grained, organic, fossiliferous sediments in carbonate-rich springwater, followed by increased organic deposition that producedatransitiontoblackdetritalsediment.Run-offandriver-flowvelocitydiminished later as forest vegetation stabilised catchment andvalley-floor ground surfaces. The lower part of the WRFB wasdisturbed syndepositionally by water-release structures and bio-turbation by large mammals. The mollusc fauna (Preece, 2010) alsoindicates faster-flowing conditions at the base of the sequence.
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ESR dating of the type Cromerian freshwater bed at West Runton, U.K.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 1996Co-Authors: W.j. Rink, Adrian M. Lister, Anthony J. Stuart, Henry P. Schwarcz, E.a. Marseglia, B.j. BrennanAbstract:Abstract We performed ESR dating on tooth enamel from three in situ locations within the West Runton Freshwater Bed (FW) bed, which is stratigraphically below fluvial sands of Anglian origin. The teeth contained little uranium, which made ESR ages essentially independent of the choice of uranium uptake model. However, this advantage was offset by a critical dependence of the ESR ages upon the moisture content of the sediments. Care was taken to account for self-shielding effects arising from the large size of the elephant tooth. Using the value of 10% moisture content observed during 1992 in sediments exposed on the cliff face, gives ages of 346±55 (EU) and 350±52 (LU) ka, corresponding to the Oxygen Isotope Stage 11 10 boundary. Additional moisture content measurements of different parts of the FW bed in 1995 yielded a mean value of 25%. Using values of 20 and 30% moisture content, we obtain ages from 420±90 to 460±80 ka (EU, 1σ errors). Because the faunal and floral data indicate that the FW bed was an interglacial deposit, the ESR results suggest that the FW bed could have been deposited in either isotope stages 11 or 13. However, independent faunal and stratigraphic evidence favours a stage 13 age or earlier; this is discussed in relation to the ESR data. These results are consistent with prevailing views (e.g. Bridgland, 1994) that the overlying Anglian deposits correlate with oxygen isotope stage 12.
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Early and early Middle Pleistocene correlations in the Southern North Sea basin
Quaternary Science Reviews, 1991Co-Authors: Philip L. Gibbard, Richard Gilbert West, W.h. Zagwijn, P.s. Balson, A.w. Burger, Brian M. Funnell, D.h. Jeffery, J. De Jong, T. Van Kolfschoten, Adrian M. ListerAbstract:Abstract On April 8, 1988 a discussion meeting took place at Norwich with the aim of establishing correlations of the Early and Middle Pleistocene stages across the southern North Sea. On the basis of faunal, floral, and palaeoclimatic data the following correlations were considered highly probable. The Pastonian Stage of East Anglia is correlated with the Late Tiglian (TC5) Stage of the Netherlands, and the Bramertonian with the Middle Tiglian (TC1-4b). The possibility that the British Antian and Bramertonian Stages may represent parts of a single climatic event is mentioned. The Ludhamian is probably of Early Tiglian age and the Pre-Ludhamian may equate in part with the Praetiglian Stage. Possible correlation of the Waltonian with part of the Pliocene Reuverian Stage is also suggested. In the later Middle Pleistocene, the Anglian Stage correlates with the continental Elsterian. The precise correlation of the British type Cromerian Stage with part of the ‘Cromerian Complex’ Stage in the Netherlands remains uncertain.
Richard C. Preece - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Early and early Middle Pleistocene context of human occupation and lowland glaciation in Britain and northern Europe
Quaternary International, 2012Co-Authors: Richard C. Preece, Simon A. ParfittAbstract:Abstract This paper reviews the stratigraphical and environmental contexts of early human occupation and lowland glaciation in Britain and northern Europe. It highlights the fragmentary nature of most of the critical sequences and the inadequacy of existing stratigraphical frameworks. The earliest archaeology known from NW Europe has been reported from Happisburgh 3, a site on the Norfolk coast. The flint artefacts from here were recovered from sediments previously assigned to the Pastonian Stage of the Early Pleistocene. However, the mammalian assemblage from Happisburgh 3 differs from other local sites attributed to the ‘Pastonian’, indicating a younger age within the Early Pleistocene. The sediments have reversed palaeomagnetic polarity and have palynological features inviting correlation with the Leerdam interglacial in the Dutch ‘Bavelian Complex’. The interglacials of the British ‘Cromerian Complex’ are compared and their archaeological record reviewed. At most of these sites, the archaeology includes hand-axes associated with a mammalian assemblage containing the water vole Arvicola but at Pakefield, Suffolk, a core-and-flake industry is associated with the ancestral Mimomys savini . This, together with the even older record from Happisburgh 3, indicates earlier periods of human occupation than previously known from NW Europe. At least five temperate episodes with distinct faunal assemblages are now recognized in the British early Middle Pleistocene but these are unlikely to equate directly with odd-numbered stages of the marine isotope record. This biostratigraphical framework conflicts with a ‘New glacial stratigraphy’ for East Anglia, which proposes glaciations during MIS 16, 12, 10 and 6. Evidence is reviewed from Sidestrand and Trimingham, where datable organic sediments occur directly beneath and above the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession, indicating that it was emplaced entirely during the Anglian glacial stage (MIS 12). A new stratigraphical framework is provided ranking British sites in order of relative age, which is then compared with a revised scheme for the Dutch late Early and early Middle Pleistocene succession. The revisions involve the relocation of the Waardenburg interglacial (‘Interglacial 1’) to the ‘Bavelian Complex’ and the use of the Brunhes-Matuyama palaeomagnetic reversal to define both the base of the Dutch ‘Cromerian Complex’ and the Early/Middle Pleistocene boundary. Moreover, following recent re-interpretation, the Noordbergum interglacial (‘Interglacial IV’) and ‘Glacial C’ are removed from the ‘Cromerian Complex’ and are correlated with MIS 11 and MIS 12 respectively. This scheme imposes greater consistency between the British and Dutch successions, as well as conformity with guidelines recommended by the International Stratigraphic Commission.
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The molluscan fauna of the Cromerian type site at West Runton, Norfolk
Quaternary International, 2010Co-Authors: Richard C. PreeceAbstract:Abstract An updated and revised list of the non-marine molluscs of the West Runton Freshwater Bed (WRFB), the type site of the Cromerian Stage, is presented. A minimum total of 73 species is now known, consisting of 46 aquatic and 27 terrestrial taxa. The molluscan fauna suggests a sluggish, base-rich, stream choked with aquatic vegetation, upstream of any brackish influence. The banks were bordered with marshland. Sandy facies with a greater proportion of fluvial species indicate more active flow within small channels. Four aquatic and 5 terrestrial species no longer live in the British Isles, and 3 (6.5%) of the aquatic species ( Tanousia runtoniana , Borysthenia goldfussiana and Pisidium clessini ) are extinct. The Cromerian molluscan fauna lacks southern thermophiles and, apart from the extinct taxa, is remarkably similar to modern faunas from eastern England. Indeed, 91% of the species of aquatic mollusc found in the WRFB still inhabit East Anglia. A number of the species that no longer live in Britain have ranges that are central or eastern European, implying that the climate may have been more continental. The stratigraphical ranges of both B. goldfussiana and T. runtoniana extend into the late Early Pleistocene in The Netherlands, and in Britain they seem to occur only in temperate stage deposits falling within the early part of the ‘Cromerian Complex’ or earlier.
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Biostratigraphic and aminostratigraphic constraints on the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in north Norfolk, UK
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009Co-Authors: Richard C. Preece, Simon A. Parfitt, G. Russell Coope, Kirsty Penkman, Philippe Ponel, John E. WhittakerAbstract:Considerable debate surrounds the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in East Anglia following some recent stratigraphical reinterpretations. Resolution of the stratigraphy here is important since it not only concerns the glacial history of the region but also has a bearing on our understanding of the earliest human occupation of north-western Europe. The orthodox consensus that all the tills were emplaced during the Anglian (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12) has recently been challenged by a view assigning each major till to a different glacial stage, before, during and after MIS 12. Between Trimingham and Sidestrand on the north Norfolk coast, datable organic sediments occur immediately below and above the glacial succession. The oldest glacial deposit (Happisburgh Till) directly overlies the ‘Sidestrand Unio-bed’, here defined as the Sidestrand Hall Member of the Cromer Forest-bed Formation. Dating of these sediments therefore has a bearing on the maximum age of the glacial sequence. This paper reviews the palaeobotany and describes the faunal assemblages recovered from the Sidestrand Unio-bed, which accumulated in a fluvial environment in a fully temperate climate with regional deciduous woodland. There are indications from the ostracods for weakly brackish conditions. Significant differences are apparent between the Sidestrand assemblages and those from West Runton, the type site of the Cromerian Stage. These differences do not result from contrasting facies or taphonomy but reflect warmer palaeotemperatures at Sidestrand and a much younger age. This conclusion is suggested by the higher proportion of thermophiles at Sidestrand and the occurrence of a water vole with unrooted molars (Arvicola) rather than its ancestor Mimomyssavini with rooted molars. Amino acid racemisation data also indicate that Sidestrand is significantly younger than West Runton. These data further highlight the stratigraphical complexity of the ‘Cromerian Complex’ and support the conventional view that the Happisburgh Till was emplaced during the Anglian rather than the recently advanced view that it dates from MIS 16. Moreover, new evidence from the Trimingham lake bed (Sidestrand Cliff Formation) above the youngest glacial outwash sediments (Briton's Lane Formation) indicates that they also accumulated during a Middle Pleistocene interglacial – probably MIS 11. All of this evidence is consistent with a short chronology placing the glacial deposits within MIS 12, rather than invoking multiple episodes of glaciation envisaged in the ‘new glacial stratigraphy’ during MIS 16, 12, 10 and 6. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Molluscan evidence for differentiation of interglacials within the "Cromerian complex"
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2001Co-Authors: Richard C. PreeceAbstract:Abstract Usage of the term ‘Cromerian’ differs between countries. In the Netherlands, four interglacial stages (and associated cold stages) are included within the so-called ‘Cromerian Complex’. In Britain, where the Cromerian stratotype is located, all ‘Cromerian’ sites have, until fairly recently, been attributed to different parts of a single interglacial stage. The first suggestion that this view might over-simplify reality was based on vertebrate evidence, in particular the occurrence of Arvicola terrestris cantiana, rather than Mimomys savini, in some deposits. Molluscan assemblages also exhibit significant differences between sites that have been attributed to the same interglacial stage. Valvata goldfussiana appears to characterize fluvial assemblages in the early part of the Cromerian Complex, whereas Valvata naticina typifies several of those that occur later. Combining molluscan and vertebrate evidence, it seems likely that as many as five distinct stages have been conflated and that the stratotype at West Runton occurs early in the Cromerian Complex, rather than immediately preceding the Anglian Stage.
A. J. Stuart - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The vertebrate fauna of the type Cromerian
Boreas, 2008Co-Authors: A. J. StuartAbstract:The rich vertebrate fauna of the Upper Freshwater Bed of West Runton, Norfolk. England (pollen assemblage zone Cr II) is described and related to vegetational conditions based on analysis of fossil pollen and macroscopic plant remains. The general picture is of fishes associated with aquatic plants in a slow-flowing river, amphibious vertebrates living in water-side habitats, and a terrestrial fauna generally reflecting a regional mixed oak forest cover, but also including grassland voles associated with local herb-dominated communities on the river floodplain. The fossil assemblage appears to have accumulated largely from the remains of terrestrial vertebrates washed in as the river eroded its banks. A reassessment of the fossil voles indicates that only five species occur, although ten were previously described. The sparse fauna from the overlying marine gravel (zone Cr III) is also discussed. On the basis of vertebrate faunas and other evidence, sites in England and Germany arc correlated with the type Cromerian.
G. Russell Coope - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Coleoptera from the Cromerian Type Site at West Runton, Norfolk, England
Quaternary International, 2010Co-Authors: G. Russell CoopeAbstract:Abstract A large assemblage of Coleoptera (beetles) has been investigated from a sequence of samples taken during excavations to recover a near complete mammoth skeleton between 1992 and 1995 from the Type Site for the Cromerian Interglacial at West Runton, Norfolk. The samples were taken from the same locality as that used for pollen, macroscopic plant remains and mollusc analyses. Only the lowermost part of this sequence yielded insect fossils. The upper samples seem to have been oxidised and any coleopteran remains decomposed beyond recognition. This beetle assemblage provides a detailed mosaic picture of the local environment at the time when the organic sediment accumulated. For the most part, the sediments were deposited in a sluggish river that meandered through a widespread reed swamp, with episodes of flooding. Occasional patches of open water supported water lilies and duckweed. Away from the swamp the better drained ground supported both deciduous trees such as oak, elm and hazel as well as sparse conifers such as spruce and pine. The dry ground vegetation also included heathers and open glades of grassland. The beetles indicate that the climate at the time was about as warm as that in East Anglia at the present day with enough precipitation available during the summer months to maintain the varied marsh habitats. The scarcity of the wholly terrestrial dung and carcase beetles in this assemblage suggests that the mammoth cadaver probably finished up in its present location in such waterlogged conditions that there were no acceptable habitats available for them in the immediate vicinity.
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Biostratigraphic and aminostratigraphic constraints on the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in north Norfolk, UK
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009Co-Authors: Richard C. Preece, Simon A. Parfitt, G. Russell Coope, Kirsty Penkman, Philippe Ponel, John E. WhittakerAbstract:Considerable debate surrounds the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in East Anglia following some recent stratigraphical reinterpretations. Resolution of the stratigraphy here is important since it not only concerns the glacial history of the region but also has a bearing on our understanding of the earliest human occupation of north-western Europe. The orthodox consensus that all the tills were emplaced during the Anglian (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12) has recently been challenged by a view assigning each major till to a different glacial stage, before, during and after MIS 12. Between Trimingham and Sidestrand on the north Norfolk coast, datable organic sediments occur immediately below and above the glacial succession. The oldest glacial deposit (Happisburgh Till) directly overlies the ‘Sidestrand Unio-bed’, here defined as the Sidestrand Hall Member of the Cromer Forest-bed Formation. Dating of these sediments therefore has a bearing on the maximum age of the glacial sequence. This paper reviews the palaeobotany and describes the faunal assemblages recovered from the Sidestrand Unio-bed, which accumulated in a fluvial environment in a fully temperate climate with regional deciduous woodland. There are indications from the ostracods for weakly brackish conditions. Significant differences are apparent between the Sidestrand assemblages and those from West Runton, the type site of the Cromerian Stage. These differences do not result from contrasting facies or taphonomy but reflect warmer palaeotemperatures at Sidestrand and a much younger age. This conclusion is suggested by the higher proportion of thermophiles at Sidestrand and the occurrence of a water vole with unrooted molars (Arvicola) rather than its ancestor Mimomyssavini with rooted molars. Amino acid racemisation data also indicate that Sidestrand is significantly younger than West Runton. These data further highlight the stratigraphical complexity of the ‘Cromerian Complex’ and support the conventional view that the Happisburgh Till was emplaced during the Anglian rather than the recently advanced view that it dates from MIS 16. Moreover, new evidence from the Trimingham lake bed (Sidestrand Cliff Formation) above the youngest glacial outwash sediments (Briton's Lane Formation) indicates that they also accumulated during a Middle Pleistocene interglacial – probably MIS 11. All of this evidence is consistent with a short chronology placing the glacial deposits within MIS 12, rather than invoking multiple episodes of glaciation envisaged in the ‘new glacial stratigraphy’ during MIS 16, 12, 10 and 6. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anthony J. Stuart - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The West Runton Freshwater Bed and the West Runton Mammoth: Summary and conclusions
Quaternary International, 2010Co-Authors: Anthony J. Stuart, Adrian M. ListerAbstract:1. IntroductionThis paper aims to synthesize the main conclusions from thevariouscontributionstothisissuecoveringthepalaeoenvironment,palaeoclimate and age of the West Runton Freshwater Bed (WRFB),as well as the life and death of the West Runton Mammoth (WRM)itself.Selectedpreviousresearchisalsobrieflydiscussed.Thewealthand breadth of the available information for the WRFB is almostunprecedented for any Pleistocene site. Although there are somerelativelyminordifferencesininterpretation,forthemostpartthereis verygood agreement between the various lines of evidence.For completeness, several mammalian taxa not otherwiseconsidered in this volume are included in Table 1, which lists thecomplete vertebrate fauna so far recorded from the WRFB.2. Sediments and depositional environmentAsdiscussedbyGibbardetal.(2010),FieldandPeglar(2010)andMaul and Parfitt (2010), West (1980) described a composite vege-tational sequence pieced together from pollen and plant macro-fossil assemblages at several localities along the WRFB exposure.He distinguished a Beestonian late glacial cold assemblage (l Be) atthe base of the sequence, succeeded by a series of Cromeriantemperate/interglacial assemblages (pollen subzones Cr Ia, Cr Ib, CrIIa and Cr IIb, of the Cromerian Interglacial). Although the entiresequence is not present at any one place, and the depositsundoubtedly include hiatuses and some reworking (see Gibbardet al., 2010), the various phases of vegetational development ofthe first part of the Cromerian are represented. However, siltshigherinthecliffwestofWestRuntonGap,whichWestassignedtothe second half of the Cromerian interglacial, almost certainlybelong to a distinct, younger episode (Zagwijn, 1996; Preece andParfitt, 2000).Gibbard et al. (2010) consider that the WRFB sediments weredeposited in a fluvial valley-floor accumulation, at least 100 mwide, which trended west to east, sub-parallel to the modern cliffline. The internal sequence of the WRFB is highly complex andshows considerable lateral and vertical discontinuity of individualunits, representing widely varying rates of deposition and hiatusesduetonon-depositionand/orsubsequenterosion. The depositionalbasin was subject to episodes of flooding on the one hand andperiodic drying out on the other. Nevertheless, Gibbard et al.consider that as a whole the WRFB represents the late part of theBeestonian and the first half of the Cromerian interglacial, which isconsistent with the pollen sequence described byWest (1980). Thisinterpretation implies that the composite WRFB sequence spansseveral thousand years, although there was never continuity ofdeposition at any one location.According to Gibbard et al. deposition of theWRFB began duringthelate-glacial partof theBeestonian cold stage, infilling an unevengravel surface that was inherited from a pre-existing braided cold-climate stream, and continued into the first half of a temperate-climate, interglacial event (the Cromerian Stage s.s.). Initial activestreamchannelswerefollowedbylowerenergyconditionsinwhichfine-grained silt was deposited in standing water, punctuated byshort intermittent flood events which washed in sand, while localerosion of channel banks and floors also occurred. Subsequentdecreased flood intensity resulted in vertical accretion of fine-grained, organic, fossiliferous sediments in carbonate-rich springwater, followed by increased organic deposition that producedatransitiontoblackdetritalsediment.Run-offandriver-flowvelocitydiminished later as forest vegetation stabilised catchment andvalley-floor ground surfaces. The lower part of the WRFB wasdisturbed syndepositionally by water-release structures and bio-turbation by large mammals. The mollusc fauna (Preece, 2010) alsoindicates faster-flowing conditions at the base of the sequence.
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ESR dating of the type Cromerian freshwater bed at West Runton, U.K.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 1996Co-Authors: W.j. Rink, Adrian M. Lister, Anthony J. Stuart, Henry P. Schwarcz, E.a. Marseglia, B.j. BrennanAbstract:Abstract We performed ESR dating on tooth enamel from three in situ locations within the West Runton Freshwater Bed (FW) bed, which is stratigraphically below fluvial sands of Anglian origin. The teeth contained little uranium, which made ESR ages essentially independent of the choice of uranium uptake model. However, this advantage was offset by a critical dependence of the ESR ages upon the moisture content of the sediments. Care was taken to account for self-shielding effects arising from the large size of the elephant tooth. Using the value of 10% moisture content observed during 1992 in sediments exposed on the cliff face, gives ages of 346±55 (EU) and 350±52 (LU) ka, corresponding to the Oxygen Isotope Stage 11 10 boundary. Additional moisture content measurements of different parts of the FW bed in 1995 yielded a mean value of 25%. Using values of 20 and 30% moisture content, we obtain ages from 420±90 to 460±80 ka (EU, 1σ errors). Because the faunal and floral data indicate that the FW bed was an interglacial deposit, the ESR results suggest that the FW bed could have been deposited in either isotope stages 11 or 13. However, independent faunal and stratigraphic evidence favours a stage 13 age or earlier; this is discussed in relation to the ESR data. These results are consistent with prevailing views (e.g. Bridgland, 1994) that the overlying Anglian deposits correlate with oxygen isotope stage 12.