The Quaternary of the Thames

The aim of the "Geological Conservation Review" series is to provide a public record of the features of interest at localities being considered for notification as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). It is written to the highest scientific standards and incorporates the cumulative insights of leading Earth scientists, but in such a way that the assessment and conservation value of the site is clear. This volume describes important sites in the Pleistocene (Ice Age) deposits of the Thames terrace system which were laid down by the Thames and its tributaries during the many (alternating) cold and warm episodes of the Pleistocene. Considerable attention is devoted to correlating the Thames sequence with deposits elsewhere in Britain, on the European continent and on the ocean floor. The ocean floor deposits are particularly important as the deep sea record is practically unbroken and can be used as a standard for global correlation. This book represents the first systematic attempt to relate the Thames sequence to this global oceanic record. Its reinterpretation brings the Thames in line with many other areas of Britain and the European continent, underlining the unique importance of the Thames sequence within the British Quaternary.