Seabed Prehistory:
Gauging the Effects ofMarine Aggregate Dredging
Final Report
Wessex Archaeology
February 2008
Volume IIArun
Ref: 57422.32
AGGREGATE LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND MARINE AGGREGATE AND THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SEABED PREHISTORY: GAUGING THE EFFECTS OF MARINE AGGREGATE DREDGING ROUND 2 FINAL REPORT VOLUME II: ARUN
Prepared for:
English Heritage
1 Waterhouse Square 138-142 Holborn LondonEC1N 2ST Prepared by:
Wessex Archaeology
Portway House Old Sarum Park SalisburySP4 6EB
Ref. 57422.32 February 2008
©Wessex Archaeology Limited 2008 all rights reserved Wessex Archaeology Limited is a Registered Charity No. 287786
i
SEABED PREHISTORY R2 FINAL REPORT VOLUME II: ARUN
Ref. 57422.32 Summary
This study forms Volume II of the ‘Seabed Prehistory: Gauging the Effects of Marine Aggregate Dredging - Final Report’ commissioned by English Heritage (EH) and undertaken by Wessex Archaeology (WA). It was funded through Round 2 of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) distributed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The ‘Final Report’ comprises of eight volumes based on previous reports accomplished by WA for either EH or the Mineral Industry Research Organisation (MIRO), as part of Round 1 or Round 2 of the ALSF project ‘Seabed Prehistory’. In 2003, WA was commissioned by MIRO to undertake the research project ‘Seabed Prehistory – Gauging the Effects of Marine Aggregate Dredging’. The project was undertaken between 2003 and 2004 and was part of the Sustainable Land Won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme (SAMP), funded by Round 1 of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). It was administered by MIRO on behalf of the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), now Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The study area for this assessment was chosen as a result of prospecting within the Owers Bank area following consultation with representatives from the marine aggregate industry. It is in the Palaeo-Arun area approximately 18km south of Littlehampton, off the coast of West Sussex in the English Channel. Survey work took place from 1
st
to 18
th
July 2003 and 27
th
to 29
th
September 2003. Twenty vibrocores, 108 seabed grab samples and 245km of seismic survey data were collected over a 3.5km by 1km area, but primarily in a central 1km² around a buried palaeochannel feature. The conclusions of the survey methodology assessment include:
Shallow seismic data can provide a sufficient understanding of the subsurface geological structure as to allow features such as palaeochannels to be interpreted and modelled in 3D if the correct seismic source is used. Seismic surveys can help archaeologists to understand the palaeogeography of an area and can be used to guide further work such as vibrocore surveys. However, the seismic data must be collected at a line spacing appropriate for delineating features of interest.
Bathymetric data, which maps seabed topography, is not an appropriate tool for assessing, identifying or studying submerged prehistoric landsurfaces and their associated archaeological deposits. It provides models of the modern seabed rather than any evidence of relic palaeogeographies or buried stratigraphy.
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