Reworked palynomorphs from the Red Crag and Norwich Crag formations (Early Pleistocene) of the Ludham Borehole, Norfolk

Abstract

Early Pleistocene estuaries in Norfolk and Suffolk were supplied by at least three large rivers which transported clastic material from several Carboniferous to Palaeogene formations in southern, central and northeastern England. New palynological data on eight samples from the Pleistocene Crag Group (Red Crag and Norwich Crag formations) of the Ludham Borehole, Norfolk add significant detail to this palaeogeographical reconstruction, revealing the consistent presence of reworked palynomorphs of Carboniferous, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Palaeogene age. The presence of these allochthonous palynomorphs is attributed to fluvial debris from a major river which flowed into Norfolk from the west and northwest. The provenance of the sediment supply can be frequently identified to formational level.