SOIL REPORT ON CALCAREOUS FEATURES FROM THE EXCAVATIONS AT GODMANCHESTER, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Author(s): Matt Canti
Three types of calcareous features, found during the excavations at Godmanchester, have been analysed. These consisted of patches of calcareous subsoil, a ditch fill core and a single exposure of near-horizontal calcium carbonate layering. In each case, the matrix of the calcareous material was compared to that of adjacent normal soils using particle-size analysis and heavy mineral trends. The calcareous parts of the subsoils and layered area were found to have finer textures and associated mineralogical variations relative to their adjacent counterparts. It is suggested that the subsoil patches form naturally in areas of fine soil, while the layering was the result of an industrial process in which similar fine soil was used, probably in conjunction with imported lime. The ditch fill showed no systematic variation between calcareous and non-calcareous materials, but differed significantly from the surrounding soil. It is suggested that the core represents the last remnant of a larger body of carbonate-enriched material, perhaps originally filling the whole ditch.
- Report Number:
- 4/1992
- Series:
- AML Reports (New Series)
- Pages:
- 31
- Keywords:
- Soil/Sediment
