Abstract
Kidson and Haynes1 following Kidson2,3 claim that marine or estuarine deposits which they call “Burtle Clay” underlie the Burtle Beds of Somerset. The sands and gravels of the Burtle Beds have been described as marine deposits4 but a glacial origin has recently been ascribed to them5,6. It is claimed1 that the Burtle Clay is of considerable stratigraphical significance, that it proves the occurrence of a widespread marine transgression, destroys the case for the glacial origin of the sands and gravels of the Burtle Beds, and throws doubt on the theory of glacial transport of the “bluestone” erratics incorporated in Neolithic and Bronze age monuments on Salisbury Plain. We find nothing to convince us of the marine origin of the Burtle Beds or to change our opinion about the older glaciations.
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References
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HAWKINS, A., KELLAWAY, G. “Burtle Clay” of Somerset. Nature 243, 216–217 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/243216a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/243216a0
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