Humberhead Levels
Glacial Lake Humber
During the last ice age, a glacier extended across this area almost to where Doncaster now is. The main glacial front was at Escrick where the Escrick moraine marks its furthest extension. This was the northern limit of an extensive lake which was impounded by the blocking of the Humber Gap by another ice front. The lake bottom gradually filled with clay sediments which are up to 20 metres (66 ft) thick. The clay sediments are locally overlain by peat deposits forming raised mires. At the base of the peat layers are the remains of a buried forest.
Early settlement
The Humberhead Levels have been settled for several thousand years. The drier northern area was settled before the Roman era. The lighter soils there were easier to drain with hand tools, and the area was extensively cleared for small-scale pastoral farming. The system of easily navigable rivers was used by invading late fifth- and sixth-century Angles and eighth- and ninth-century Vikings who were able to penetrate deep into the countryside.
References
- ^ Kent, Sir Peter; Gaunt, G. D. (1980). Eastern England from the Tees to the Wash. British Regional Geology (Second ed.). London: HMSO. Natural Environment Research Council. ISBN 0-11-884121-1.
- ^ "Humberhead Levels National Character Area". Natural England. Retrieved 6 June 2012.