Modelling the Stratigraphy and Geoarchaeology of English Valley Systems
Quintijn Clevis, Greg Tucker, Gary Lock, Arnaud Desitter, 2006. (updated 2008) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000018. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Quintijn Clevis, Prof Greg Tucker, Prof Gary Lock, Arnaud Desitter unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Prof
Gary
Lock
Institute of Archaeology
University of Oxford
36 Beaumont St
Oxford
OX1 2PG
England
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 504
- ALSF Project Number: 3299
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000018
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
The Modelling the Stratigraphy and Geoarchaeology of English River Valley Systems was an Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund project undertaken by the Department of Geography and Environment: University of Oxford.
The project was primarily concerned with investigating the relative preservation rates of stratigraphic units within aggrading fluvial systems, together with the short and long term impact of climatic pertubations.
To achieve this the project developed software that simulates the behaviour of rivers within lowland meander-floodplains through the Holocene period. The CHILD simulation software has been modified to incorporate more sensitive three-dimensional erosional and depositional capabilities. Visualisation software has been written for displaying animations of floodplain evolution and the three-dimensional structure of the subsurface stratigraphy. This enables a detailed understanding of likely areas of erosion and deposition within a valley through time. Anthropogenic effects on the system, such as increased drainage due to land-use can be modelled. The archaeological evidence for the Upper Thames Valley has been digitised, mainly from aerial photography, and incorporated into the model to assess its sensitivity and the effect of key variables.
