﻿420 
  MK. 
  E. 
  P. 
  RICHARDS 
  ON 
  THE 
  GRAVELS 
  AND 
  [A"Ug. 
  1897, 
  

  

  30. 
  The 
  Gravels 
  and 
  Associated 
  Deposits 
  at 
  Newbury. 
  By 
  

   E. 
  Percy 
  Richards, 
  Esq., 
  E.G.S. 
  (Read 
  May 
  12th, 
  1897.) 
  

  

  [Plate 
  XXX.] 
  

  

  Contents. 
  

  

  § 
  1. 
  Introduction 
  and 
  Eeraarks 
  on 
  the 
  General 
  Geology 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  District 
  420 
  

  

  §2. 
  The 
  Pre-Glacial 
  Drift 
  420 
  

  

  §3. 
  The 
  Glacial 
  (?) 
  or 
  Donnington 
  Gravel 
  422 
  

  

  § 
  4. 
  The 
  Upper 
  River-gravel 
  or 
  Terrace-gravel 
  425 
  

  

  | 
  5. 
  The 
  Lower 
  Eiver-gravel 
  427 
  

  

  §6. 
  The 
  Neolithic 
  Lake 
  Series 
  and 
  Recent 
  Deposits 
  430 
  

  

  Appendix 
  I 
  433 
  

  

  Appendix 
  II. 
  434 
  

  

  § 
  I 
  . 
  Introduction 
  and 
  Remaeks 
  on 
  the 
  General 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  District. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  observations 
  recorded 
  here 
  were 
  taken 
  during 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  

   the 
  main-drainage 
  works 
  at 
  Newbury 
  in 
  1894. 
  Pressure 
  of 
  work 
  

   greatly 
  curtailed 
  rny 
  opportunities 
  ; 
  nevertheless 
  I 
  trust 
  that 
  my 
  

   notes, 
  though 
  not 
  of 
  so 
  much 
  value 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  wish, 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  use 
  

   to 
  geologists 
  who 
  are 
  systematically 
  studying 
  our 
  drifts 
  and 
  other 
  

   gravel-deposits. 
  

  

  The 
  strata 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  may 
  be 
  apportioned 
  into 
  four 
  

   groups, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (1) 
  Pre-Glacial 
  Southern 
  Drift. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Glacial 
  (?) 
  Drift. 
  

  

  (3) 
  A 
  lower 
  and 
  an 
  upper 
  Palaeolithic 
  River-gravel. 
  

  

  (4) 
  Neolithic 
  peat, 
  loam, 
  and 
  shell- 
  marl. 
  

  

  The 
  Kennet 
  Yalley 
  at 
  Newbury 
  is 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  wide, 
  broad 
  and 
  

   fertile, 
  with 
  flat 
  water-meadows 
  over 
  the 
  peat, 
  stretches 
  of 
  cornland 
  

   and 
  firm 
  pasture 
  upon 
  the 
  river-gravel 
  terraces, 
  while 
  woods 
  clothe 
  

   the 
  low 
  parallel 
  hills 
  which 
  continuously 
  enclose 
  the 
  valley. 
  

  

  River-gravels 
  rest 
  upon 
  the 
  Chalk-with-flints 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   the 
  valley 
  at 
  Newbury; 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  down 
  stream 
  both 
  the 
  

   valley 
  and 
  the 
  hills 
  are 
  formed 
  in 
  Eocene 
  strata. 
  2 
  

  

  § 
  2. 
  The 
  Pre-Glacial 
  Drift. 
  

  

  The 
  first-mentioned 
  gravel 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  list 
  occurs 
  in 
  wide 
  

   regular 
  layers 
  over 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  and 
  produces 
  

   the 
  heathy 
  commons, 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  occupying 
  an 
  

   average 
  level 
  of 
  440 
  feet 
  above 
  O.D. 
  This 
  gravel 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  

   probably 
  ' 
  Southern 
  Drift 
  ' 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Sir 
  Joseph 
  Prestwich, 
  in 
  his 
  

  

  1 
  See 
  Note 
  I. 
  in 
  Appendix 
  I., 
  p. 
  433. 
  

  

  2 
  As 
  well 
  seen 
  in 
  some 
  sections 
  shown 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Fidler, 
  of 
  Newbury, 
  

   published, 
  I 
  think, 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Engineer,' 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  a 
  proposed 
  water-supply 
  of 
  

   London 
  by 
  draining 
  the 
  Kennet 
  Valley, 
  and 
  forming 
  a 
  lake 
  from 
  Alderinaston 
  

   to 
  Thatcham 
  ; 
  wells 
  and 
  borings 
  were 
  recorded. 
  See 
  also 
  Prestwich's 
  Map 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pre-Glacial 
  Drift-beds 
  of 
  the 
  Thames 
  Basin, 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc, 
  

   vol. 
  xlvi. 
  (1890) 
  pi. 
  viii. 
  

  

  