NOTES ON SOILS FROM THE RAVOCK FIELD SYSTEM ABOVE DEEPDALE IN WESTERN CO. DURHAM
Author(s): M McHugh
Selected soils on the northern margins of Ravock Moor were examined as an appendix to soils work undertaken within the A66 project. Soils buried by a collapsed field boundary indicate a complex history of erosion and deposition beginning possibly during prehistoric times. Subsequent agricultural activity, probably overgrazing, led to localized soil erosion and resulted in the deposition of a windsorted colluvial mineral soil. A period of stability then followed during which the newly deposited colluvial soil was subject to `normal' soil processes. Subsequent burning episodes led finally to complete topsoil removal. The soils buried by the upcast bank of the Roman aqueduct suggest fairly advanced soil leaching and acidification prior to burial. There is little to indicate agricultural activities in adjacent areas prior to construction. Organic debris within the fill suggests that some woodland may have been present locally following abandonment of the aqueduct.
- Report Number:
- 85/1992
- Series:
- AML Reports (New Series)
- Pages:
- 24
- Keywords:
- Soil/Sediment
