Geology and Landscape of the Little Ouse Headwaters
The Little Ouse and Waveney valleys have many atypical and anomalous features that have puzzled geologists for hundreds of years. Between 2002 and 2007 Professor Richard West FRS undertook a detailed field study of the geomorphology of the area. This resulted in an elegant, coherent and ground-breaking theory that explains their origins together with those of the valley fens and Breckland sands.
His work was published by the Suffolk Naturalists' Society with support from GeoSuffolk in January 2009. Entitled 'From Brandon to Bungay: An exploration of the landscape history and geology of the Little Ouse and Waveney Rivers', his book can be obtained from the Suffolk Naturalists' Society/c/o Ipswich Museum, Hight Street, pswich, Suffolk IP1 3QH for £12 (incl. p & p or £10 if you collect it yourself). The soft back book contains 106 pages of text and diagrams plus 20 pages of colour plates (including eight excellent full page aerial photographs showing views of significant features of the valley).
For those wanting a shorter summary of Professor West's work, the attached pdf file contains the illustrated text of a lecture that he gave at the LOHP's annual meeting in 2006.
Click here 
(NB large file: 8.14 MB).
Please note that the copyright for this article belongs to the LOHP and to Professor West. Your are welcome to download it for individual use or for classroom handouts. Please contact the LOHP if you wish to make multiple copies for any other purpose.
A second short paper 'The Little Ouse River, The Waveney River and the Breckland: a joint history' is published by the Suffolk Naturalists' Society in their transactions: 'Suffolk Natural History 2007, 43, 35-39.
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