NAZEING STAGE (PLEISTOCENE) 33
2. Various occurrences in the Lea Valley.
The first discovery of the Nazeing Stage outside the type
area was by the writer who, about 1953, found beds of the "M"
type at Deephams Sewage Works, Edmonton [Hayward,
1957]. By the time that the biota had been examined and a
comparison with the material from Nazeing had made the
correlation certain, the sections had been obliterated. It was
not until 1956 that new work on the site made it possible to
study the stratigraphy in the light of the facts accumulated in
the intervening years. These new sections will be described in
part 3 of this report.
During a visit to the dumps of the "New Cut", Waltham
Abbey, [ibid, p. 51] certain samples were carried away. Later
examination proved that one of these was a cream coloured
loam with yellow ferruginous streaks, lithologically similar to
the "marl D" of Nazeing. Unfortunately the specimen was
too small for more detailed examination but it suggested the
presence of the Nazeing Stage in this locality.
In 1956 the author was introduced to the pit of the Ham River
Grit Company, Ltd. at Fishers Green, Essex. Here there was
evidence of two channels. One in the north-west corner of the
pit will be described elsewhere. The other was some distance
to the east and is regarded as a representative of the "D"
phase of the Nazeing Stage. The west side of the channel
probably passed some eight or nine hundred feet to the east of
Aqueduct Lock and the channel itself was about 250 ft. wide.
It may have been about ten feet deep (in relation to the present
land surface), but investigation by augering was hampered by
a band of stones near water level.
The pit was flooded, and only peat, followed by marsh clay
was seen above water level. The transition between the two
was gradual as it was in the type section at Nazeing. Some
samples were grabbed up by the excavator for the author's
examination and, although it was not possible to exclude the
possibility of the duplication of the two lowest horizons, the
following approximate sequence was suggested :—
NOTE ON TABLE ON PACING PAGE
The table shows the sequence of the Nazeing Flood Plain deposits as
interpreted by S. Hazzledine Warren, (based on a manuscript kindly supplied
by Mr. Warren.) The table should be read from the bottom upwards.