Hoxnian

views updated May 17 2018

Hoxnian An interglacial period and a series of temperate-climate deposits named after Hoxne, Suffolk, England, with a characteristic vegetational sequence that occurs in tills of the earliest glacial stages, sometimes filling deep channels. They may be equivalent to the Holsteinian deposits of continental Europe. Sometimes during the Hoxnian Interglacial the sea rose to well above its present level. There is a correlation between this stage and the Boyn Hill terraces of the Thames Valley, and also with raised beaches (30 m ordnance datum) found on the Sussex coast. Hand axes of this age (Acheulian culture) have been found and there is evidence for human modification of the environment by forest clearance and an increased incidence of fires associated with Homo erectus settlements in southern Britain.

Hoxnian

views updated May 08 2018

Hoxnian
1. An interglacial period.

2. A series of temperate-climate deposits, named after Hoxne, Suffolk, England, with a characteristic vegetational sequence that occurs in tills of the earliest glacial stages, sometimes filling deep channels. They may be equivalent to the Holsteinian deposits of continental Europe. Sometimes during the Hoxnian Interglacial the sea rose to well above its present level. There is a correlation between this stage and the Boyn Hill terraces of the Thames Valley, and also with raised beaches (30m ordnance datum) found on the Sussex coast.