LOESS IN THE SOILS OF NORTH NORFOLK

Abstract

Summary Thin silty deposits cover large areas of north‐east Norfolk, occurring mainly on gently sloping and flat plateau sites and on the floors of valleys cut in the glacial deposits. Particle size and geographic distribution of the deposits suggest that the silt is windblown. The mineralogical composition of the silt fraction resembles that of the silt of Hunstanton Till, suggesting that most of the deposit was derived as loess from outwash of the Weichselian glacier. However, at some localities the sand and clay components of the deposits were derived, at least partly, from subjacent glacial sediments of pre‐Weichselian age. The distribution of the silty deposits strongly affects the pattern of soil types and sometimes the growth of crops.