| Microfacies type (MFT)/Soil microfabric type (SMT) | Sample No. | Depth (relative depth) Soil Micromorphology (SM) SEM/EDAX | Preliminary Interpretation and Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| MFT C1/SMT 4a, 4b and 5a | M104 | Depth cm? SM: heterogeneous with common SMT 4a and SMT 4b and few SMT 5a (as 1–2mm-size clasts); Microstructure: fine sub-angular blocky and crumb, 50% voids, simple and complex packing voids, and poorly accommodated planar voids; Coarse Mineral: C:F, 4a-70:30, 4b-60:40, 5b-85:15; poorly sorted silts, coarse silt- and very fine sand-size quartz, feldspar, opaques and mica, with very coarse sand-size and few stone size (max 20mm) metamorphic and igneous rock fragments; Coarse Organic and Anthropogenic: occasional fine (iron-stained) roots; occasional fine charcoal with max eg of 6mm (wood charcoal); possible trace of rubefied and weakly calcined mineral grains; Fine Fabric: SMT 4a pale brownish to dark brownish SMT 4b, isotropic (close (4a) and open (4b) porphyric, undifferentiated b-fabric, XPL), pale brown to dark reddish brown (OIL), humic with abundant to very abundant amorphous OM, occasional very fine charred OM, fungal material present; SMT 5a: pale dusty yellowish brown (PPL), very low interference colours (very close porphyric, speckled b-fabric, XPL), greyish brown (OIL), very weak relict humic staining; Pedofeatures: Amorphous: occasional weak iron-staining of roots; Fabric: many thin to broad burrows; very abundant aggregates and soil clasts; Excrements: very abundant very thin and thin excremental working of coarse aggregates. |
Trench 1, Context 11 (primary and secondary bank-buried soil) Heterogeneous moderately stony humic coarse silty-very fine sandy soil, composed of very humic (A1h), humic (A12h) with 1–2mm-size rounded clasts of minerogenic (Bw) soil. Occasional fine charcoal (max. 6mm), very fine charcoal and a trace of likely burned mineral material occur. Soil is present as sub-angular aggregates which are being worked into thin excrements. Soil formed in coarse silty-very fine sandy drift. Probable humic 'Ap' colluvial soil containing rounded eroded clasts of subsoil, with very fine and fine charcoal relict of clearance (?)/ management by fire. Suggested arable soil (ploughsoil colluvium), went out of use allowing some reworking by acidophyle fauna and development of humic topsoil. |
| MFT C2/SMT 4a, 4b (5a) over 5a | M105 | Depth cm? SM: heterogeneous and layered, with, 0–45mm: very dominant SMT 4a and 4b, with very few 5a, and 45–75mm: very dominant SMT 5a; Microstructure: poorly formed fine and medium prismatic, becoming upwards medium sub-angular blocky/poorly prismatic, 35% voids becoming upwards 50% voids, moderately accommodated planar voids and fine (root) channels, with upwards, moderately accommodated planar voids and coarse (10mm) (root) channels, with simple and complex packing voids; Coarse Mineral: as M104, with few sand-size ironstone and angular ironstone fragments; Coarse Organic and Anthropogenic: rare fine roots and example of coarse (10mm) (bracken?) root; trace of fine charcoal, with rare weakly burned mineral material; possible trace of dung(?), fungal material present including fine sand-size example of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae, which is birefringent (therefore probably ancient); Fine Fabric: as M104; Pedofeatures: Fabric/Excrements: many moderately broad burrows (organo-mineral excrements) becoming very abundant extremely and very thin burrows (organic excrements) upwards. |
Trench 3, Context 9 (IA/RB? field below post-med boundary)
Moderately mixed junction between compact minerogenic subsoil and overlying fine pellety humic soil, containing rare inclusion of subsoil,trace amounts of fine charcoal and possible weakly burned angular mineral material. An example of 'ancient' vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae is present. Subsoil is characterised by moderately broad organo-mineral excrements. Occasional roots occur including 10mm-wide example of bracken. Weakly biologically worked anomalous junction between minerogenic acid brown earth subsoil formed in coarse silt-very fine sand-size drift, and strongly acidic humic topsoil. Possible burned material and trace amounts of fine charcoal, suggest upper soil is partially anthropogenic; lower soil has probably been truncated. |
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