Doggerland

 Is there any evidence in the southern North Sea that suggests that habitable land was present at a higher level than the seabed that presently exists? Could habitable land have linked Norfolk to Holland? 

A number of borings of subsea sediments were drilled close to the north Norfolk Coast at a place called the Southern Valley. This work was published in the following report:-

"Early colonization before inundation consistent with northern glacial refugia in Southern Doggerland revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA" by Robin G. Allaby, Rosie Ware, Rebecca Cribdon, Teri A. Hansford , Tim Kinnaird, Derek Hamilton, Logan Kistler, Phil Murgatroyd, Richard Bates, Simon Fitch, and Vincent Gaffney

There follows quoted passages which introduce their research work:-

During the Late Pleistocene (approximately 129 to 11.7 ka) and early Holocene (approximately 11.7 to 8.2 ka), prior to the formation of the present-day North Sea, North-Western Europe was connected through a low undulating landmass known as Doggerland . The landscape was for a time forested , and likely to have been important for Mesolithic communities by providing a resource-rich environment as evidenced by bone and antler artifacts indicating the presence of hunting cultures . The most celebrated of these artifacts is the Colinda harpoon, attributable to the Maglemosian culture that existed in North-Western Europe from around 10.3 ka . This environment persisted until the mid-Holocene after which episodic sea level rise inundated the landscape .

The Southern River System in Doggerland

 To understand the late glacial and early Holocene environment of Southern Doggerland, the Europe’s Lost Frontiers (ELF) team undertook seismic surveys and recovery of marine sediment samples for environmental and geochemical analysis between 2016 and 2019.

Topographical reconstruction of the landscape characterized a river system, the Southern River , suitable to track the environmental changes that occurred from the Late Pleistocene to the period of inundation.

 The Southern River is around 30 km in length with a headwater area to the north close to the limit of the southern-most ice advance . The river system opened into an estuarine mouth in the south between headlands which could have been suitable for human occupation, with likely plentiful freshwater and marine resources available to inhabitants . Recently, on the basis of this topography speculative dredging of the sea floor was under-taken in the estuarine mouth area leading to the discovery of a worked lithic from the early Holocene. Consequently, the Southern River is an area of particular interest with respect to its potential to support early Mesolithic occupation. By integrating sedimentological and sedaDNA data, we distinguish secure samples in which sedaDNA derives predominantly from a local source from those in which the signal derives from influxed and reworked sediments. Secure taxonomic profiles show the transition of the landscape from one supporting temperate trees from before a time contemporaneous to the Allerød, to an inundated environment dominated by sea grass (Zostera ). The presence of thermophilous tree species too early and too far north given tree migration rates to have originated from classic glacial refugia, signal the existence of closer refugia in North-West Europe across glacial advances. 

I am grateful to have been supplied with the raw data from these borings by Robin Allaby. I have used the data supplied to draw a series of conclusions which may stand alone, or may be augmented by being fed back into the Datasets.

There are obvious limitations to my work, so I welcome feedback and corrections. I have done my best to interpret the figures to conform to your intentions.

In my operations to cut and past figures from the Datasets some sheets did not translate properly. Also, in interpreting the data effectively it may be useful to have an idea of the topography of the subsea environments as this may have affected erosion and depositional rates.

Having examined the data as it was presented to me, my specific interest is in detailed sea level measurements and dates for organic matter where it occurs. The dating for Organic material is provided by radiocarbon dating, and the dating of sediments by OSL.

Of the 41 marine cores in the area of the Southern Valley, only 30 were available to me in a form which I could readily use. Of those , just 21 give me informative data for my purposes. 9 sample borings provided data that was either, missing, unavailable, or insufficient for my purpose. 

Key features of the findings are a record of glacial runoff from mountain glaciers followed by the development of marshy coastal environments. As sea-level rises these marshes are drowned, and there follows a complete absence of datable samples until, in a very few areas significant sediment supply arrives at a time which archaeologists would classify as Neolithic. 

The full list of borings follows, in the order presented in the above named report, and with additional notes.

ELF 053

ELF053 2, sea level to 55cm 11280-18340 

ELF053 2 sea level to 65cm- 20680-29750

ELF053 2 sea level to 75cm -23320-31770

ELF053 4 sea level to 231cm- 20100-24680 

ELF053 5, sea level to 241cm - 40710-51270 

ELF053 5 sea level to 251cm - 50730-66960 

This location is an area of coastal land at sea level, which has been built up through MIS 4, MIS 3 and MIS 2, from a base 2.5 metres below present sea levels. As it is at land level, it would have been some 60 metres above sea level when the sediments were laid. These sediments are therefore likely to be derived from glacial and fluvial runoff.

ELF 049

ELF049 3, sea level to 155cm 9050-11520 

ELF049 3, sea level to 159cm 6890-9290

ELF049 4, sea level to 175cm - 29220-41940 

ELF049 4 sea level to 180cm - 34080-43860 

ELF049 4 sea level to 185cm - 38300-48980 

ELF049 4 sea level to 195cm - 26150-33410 

ELF049 6 sea level to 370cm - 43090-56140 

ELF049 6 sea level to 380cm - 36870-59850 

ELF049 6 sea level to 400cm - 32280-50240 

ELF049 6, sea level to 410cm - 36460-49200 

ELF049 8, sea level to 414cm - 23480-35500 

ELF049 8, sea level to 422cm - 75800-90490

 This area is also land at sealevel, built up through from MIS 4 to MIS 1. There has been a steady accumulation rate for sediments down to 4 metres deep throughout the period.

ELF 047

ELF047 4, sea level to 398cm - 8290-8950 

ELF047 6, sea level to 426cm - 10680-11760

ELF047 6, sea level to 431cm- 8750-9750

ELF047 7, sea level to 437cm 8640-10200

ELF047 7, sea level to 444cm 8740-9300

ELF047 7. sea level to 451cm 11540-14100

This area has seen little apparent sediment supply over the period when samples are dated. It is at present at sea level, and would therefore have received sediment from rainwater runoff immediately after the last of the ice age meltwater runoff.

ELF 045

ELF045 5, sea level to 160cm - 6770-8110 

ELF045 5 sea level to170cm - 7210-11030 

ELF045/1 8 sea level to.190cm 7230-9150

ELF045 8, sea level to 540cm - 10120-11900 

ELF045 8, sea level to 545cm- 10350-11690 

ELF045 8, sea level to 550cm 12300-14460 

ELF045 8, sea level to 555cm 12050-14790 

Here, a deep sediment dump is supplied to the area at the very end of the ice age, 11,000BP, when the final meltwater flood occurred. 

ELF 051

ELF051 3 -27.50 80cm- 9690-10690 

ELF051 3, -27.50 83cm- 10400-12000 

ELF051 3, -27.50 85cm- 10210-11770 

ELF051 4, -27.50 90cm - 10120-12840 

ELF051 4 -27.50 93cm 10660-12600 

ELF051 7 -27.50 138cm - 11220-13020 

ELF051 8 -27.50 141cm - 12290-13930 

The sea floor here is 27.5 metres below sealevel. A limited sediment supply has been deposited between 12,000BP and 10,000BP. 

ELF 031

ELF031 Articulated Bivalve -28.00 47cm 9705

ELF031 Organic silt: -28.00 53cm 10203

ELF031A Organic silt: -28.00 51cm 10055

The sea floor here is 28 metres below sea level and Organic silt half a metre below that seabed may date the the rise of sea level to this point at 10,000BP. Immediately above the silt a mollusc Shell was found that was dated to 9705BP. Global sea-level at 10,000BP was 50 metres below sea level. The discrepancy between the depth of Organic silt, and bivalve is interesting. Can you say what species the bivalve is?

ELF 019

ELF019 Peat: -31.70 132 10079 

ELF019 Peat: -31.70 132 10222

ELF019 Peat: -31.70 135 10215 

ELF019 Peat: -31.70 135 10225 

ELF019 Peat: -31.70 138 10900 

ELF019 Peat: -31.70 138 11552

Peats in this area were flooded here at 33 metres depth in 10,000BP 

ELF 044

No information 

ELF 042

ELF042 sea level to 75cm 4420 5320

ELF042 sea level to 80cm 5130 6130

ELF042 sea level to 90cm 5040 5990

ELF042 4 sea level to 98cm - 4090-4930 

ELF042 10 sea level to 370cm - 5230-6270

ELF042 10. sea level to 380cm 4980-5940

ELF042 10 sea level to 390cm - 4780-5770

Here, over a very short period of time , around 5000BP, when sea-level was less than 5 metres below present levels, over 3 metres of sediment has been deposited on a seabed that was less than 4 metres below.

ELF 041

Nothing

ELF 040

Nothing 

ELF 039

Missing 

ELF 054

ELF054 2, top -22.50 31cm - 5470-5990 

ELF054 2 -22.50 52cm - 4910-6500 

ELF054 2 -22.50 82cm - 5540-7300 

ELF054 2 -22.50 85cm - 4940-7110 

ELF054 2 -22.50 99cm - 5130-5780

ELF054 2 -22.50 135cm - 5230-6870 

ELF054 2 -22.50 155cm - 4210-5680 

ELF054 2 -22.50 215cm - 4600-5870 

ELF054 2 -22.50 225cm - 5020-6140 5

ELF054 2, base -22.50 235cm - 5270-6640 

Sea floor here is 25 metres below sea level, and within a short period at around 6000BP to 5000BP a 2 metre thickness of sediments were added.

ELF 034

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 50cm 8857

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 70cm 11451

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 90cm12331

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 110cm 12611

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 130cm 12772

ELF034A Shell: arculated bivalve -17.00 134 8831

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 148cm 13151

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 162cm 13509

ELF034A Peat: -17.00 169cm 8905

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 171cm 13764

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 180cm 15076

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 185cm 15926

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 193cm 15221

ELF034A Peat: -17.00 195cm 9384

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 202cm 15877

ELF034 Peat: -17.00 209cm 16863

ELF034A Peat: -17.00 292cm 12712

Here the seabed is 17 metres below sea level, and peats on an ancient shoreline are gradually overlaid as a thick peatbed, building up shore deposits by 1.5 metres over a period of about 6000 years. The decreasing depth of these peats is likely to have been caused by the accumulation of peatbeds over the period.

ELF 035

No information 

ELF 033

ELF033A Shell: articulated bivalve -20.00 46-48cm 9160

ELF 032

Insufficient information 

ELF 060

No info?

ELF 059

ELF059 2 40 5620-7130

ELF059 2 0.00 52cm 6010-7510

ELF059 5 0.00 320cm 4550-5500

ELF059 6/7 0.00 330cm 6390-7990 

ELF059 7 0.00 340cm 5930-7880

ELF059 7 0.00 350cm 5680-7490

The location is now land at sealevel. A deposit of sediments has been laid here in a short period of years , not more than 100s, over 3 metres thick. The event which caused this deposit occurred between 5000BP and 7000BP. 

ELF003

ELF003 Shell (marine)-22.93 211-212 8983

ELF003 Peat -22.93 266-268 9505

ELF003 Shell (marine) -22.93 314-316 8924

ELF003 Shell: arculated bivalve -22.93 129-130 8940

Here an ancient Peat bed, growing in 9500BP, is flooded by rising sea-level in 9000BP. 

ELF005

ELF005 Peat: -20.89 62cm 9155

ELF005 Peat: -20.89 62cm 9043

ELF005 Peat: -20.89 64cm 9143

ELF005 Peat: -20.89 64cm 9345

ELF005 Peat: -20.89 67cm 9167

ELF005 Peat: 20.89 67cm 9386

Seabed is 21 metres below sealevel here. Peats were submerged by rising sea-level at around 9000BP 

ELF006

No information 

ELF004

Nothing 

ELF001

ELF001A Shell Marine -24.70 140-145 9096

Sample from 26 metres below sea level mollusc at 9000BP. 

ELF002

ELF002 Shell Marine-23.35 252-254 9097

ELF002 Shell Marine -23.35 265-267 8983

ELF002 Peat -23.35 283-285 8890

ELF002 Peat: -23.35 285cm 8942 

ELF002 Peat: -23.35 285 8864 

ELF002 Peat -23.35 290-292 8814

ELF002 Peat: -23.35 295 9141 

ELF002 Peat: -23.35 295 9156

ELF002 Peat -23.35 305-307 10306

ELF002 Peat: -23.35 307 12245

ELF002 Peat: -23.35 307 12745

The sea floor is 26 metres below sea level. 

Peat beds build up , about 20cm over more than 2000 years. Samples of shell and peat date the flooding of the area to 9000BP. 

ELF009

ELF009 Shell: arculated bivalve -22.76 230cm - 9016

ELF009 Shell: arculated bivalve -22.76 246cm - 8995

ELF009 Shell (marine) -22.76 292cm- 9070

ELF009 Peat -22.76 326-328 8784

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 327cm - 8901

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 327cm - 8896

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 337cm - 9134

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 337cm - 9165 

ELF009 Peat -22.76 346-348 9271

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 347cm - 9381

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 347cm - 9375 

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 350cm - 9372

ELF009 Peat: -22.76 350cm - 9289

At a depth of 25 metres molluscs and peats indicate that sea level reached this area at 9000BP 

ELF007

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 201-203 9160

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 201-203 9162 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 215cm - 9522

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 215cm 9572 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 202cm - 9169 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 202cm - 9265 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 194cm 9379

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 194cm - 9502.5 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 201cm - 9161

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 201cm - 9153 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 206cm - 9354 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 206cm - 9260 

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 210cm - 9365

ELF007 Peat: -22.17 210cm - 9271

At a depth of 24 metres sea level reached this area at around 9000BP. 

ELF 020

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 179cm - 9268

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 179cm 9168

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 200cm - 12987

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 200 13097

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 176cm - 9515 

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 176cm - 9598

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 178cm - 9392

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 178cm - 9497 

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 184cm - 9283

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 184cm - 9170 

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 190cm - 10223

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 190cm 10395

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 195cm - 12691

ELF020 Peat: -21.60 195cm -13258

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.81 8300 

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.86 8423 

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.88cm 8922 

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.92cm 10624 

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.94cm 10751 

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.96cm 11009 

ELF 020 Peat: -21.60 1.98cm 11277 

At a depth 23m below sea level these peats were drowned before 9000BP 

ELF 027

Missing corrupted 

From sea level

95cm to 440cm all dates around 12,000BP 

ELF 022

Missing corrupted 

92cm to 210cm deep from land/sea level all dates around 12,000BP 

Conclusions (tentative)

1) Thick peatbeds developed on some surfaces, sometimes over thousands of years, and were drowned by rising sea levels at around 9000BP. 

ELF 020, ELF007, ELF009, ELF002, ELF005, ELF003, ELF 034, ELF 019, ELF 031

2) Shallow areas at the headland end of the river demonstrate the outflows of meltwater runoff as it poured off from the mountains of northern England. 

ELF 053, ELF 049, ELF 047, ELF 045, ELF 027, ELF 022

3) Some areas have very little sediment supply between deglaciation and the cutoff of sea level rise at 9000BP. 

ELF 051, 

4) Two samples are dated to around 9000BP by the presence of mollusc shells, 

ELF001, ELF 033

5) In an area where sediment supply can be quite limited there are a group of sample locations that indicate the arrival of significant sediment thicknesses in a specific period, between 7000BP and 5000BP. The source of supply of this material is not immediately obvious. 

ELF 042, ELF 054, ELF 059, 

(My own personal theory would suggest that at about 7000BP the upper 20 metres of sediments, resting on a shallow region of land between Norfolk and Holland, began being eroded away. This would have been aggressive from the English Channel direction, less so from the Dogger Bank side. Between 6000BP and 5000BP this process culminated in the complete separation of Britain from Holland. Supporting evidence for this theory can be found  in "Walkable land in the North Sea". I welcome any evidence that debunks my theory)

Jeffery Nicholls 

Orkney