Cuffley Brook

Cuffley Brook, Northaw Great Wood

Cuffley Brook is a tributary of Turkey Brook. It runs through parts of Hertfordshire and the London Borough of Enfield, England. After the confluence of the two streams in Whitewebbs Park, the watercourse continues eastwards as Turkey Brook to join the River Lea near Enfield Lock.

Course

Soper's Viaduct, Cuffley
Flash Lane Aqueduct, Whitewebbs Wood
Samples of Hertfordshire puddingstone at Hertford Museum

Cuffley Brook is one of the longest tributaries of the River Lea, snaking for several miles through the south-east Hertfordshire hills.[1] It rises in Northaw Great Wood, north west of Cuffley, and is joined there by Grimes Brook. Northaw Brook and Hempshill Brook join Cuffley Brook south of Cuffley, close to Soper's Viaduct (on the Hertford Loop railway line). The stream then goes under the M25 motorway, passes close to Crews Hill, and enters Whitewebbs Wood. There, it goes under the Flash Lane Aqueduct[2] (on a former course of the New River), before reaching a confluence with Turkey Brook, in the London Borough of Enfield, at the north-west foot of Forty Hill.

Topographic map of the Cuffley Brook catchment area, Hertfordshire and Enfield

Geology

The oldest geological formation to outcrop within the Cuffley Brook catchment area is Cretaceous Chalk.[3][4] This reaches the surface in the floor of the Hempshill Brook valley. The chalk also comes close to the surface in Northaw Great Wood, where swallow holes in overlying sediments near Cuffley Brook indicate that the chalk is not far below.[5][6]

Overlying the chalk are fairly extensive areas of formations of the Lambeth Group,[7] notably of the Reading Formation,[8] which consists mostly of silty clay and sand. But samples of the distinctive "Hertforshire Puddingstone" have also been found in Northaw Great Wood.[9]

Overlying the above formations is Eocene London Clay, which is the main geological formation in the Cuffley Brook catchment area.

An early Pleistocene fluvial deposit known generally as "Pebble Gravel" covers an extensive area on higher parts of the catchment area - for example, around Northaw and Newgate Street.[10][11]

A little lower than the Pebble Gravel, but still mostly on interfluves (for example, near Crews Hill), is another pre-glacial formation of fluvial origin known as "Dollis Hill Gravel".[12]

Overlying some of the Pebble Gravel and Dollis Hill Gravel are notable deposits of glacial till, especially in the eastern and northern upper parts of the catchment area (for example around Goffs Oak and Epping Green).

Finally, throughout almost the whole length of Cuffley Brook and its tributaries, deposits of recent alluvium and valley sand and gravel are found along the valley floors.

Origin and evolution

As a west bank tributary of the lower River Lea, Cuffley Brook came into being about 400,000 years ago, after the Anglian glaciation. During that glaciation, ice from the north of England advanced at least as far south as Watford, Finchley and Chingford.

Until the Anglian glaciation, the River Thames flowed north-eastwards to Hertford via Watford, through what is now the Vale of St Albans, then eastwards towards Chelmsford and the North Sea. As a result of the glaciation, the Thames was diverted to a more southerly route, broadly along the line of its current course.[13]

Prior to the Anglian glaciation, a "proto-Mole-Wey" river was flowing northwards from the Weald and North Downs, through the "Finchley depression" and Palmers Green, to join the proto-Thames somewhere around Hoddesdon, at what is today an altitude of around 60 metres.[14] It was this river which, during the course of the early and middle Pleistocene, deposited the "Dollis Hill Gravel" at successive altitudes.[15]

When the Anglian ice sheet diverted the Thames southwards, the Mole-Wey was cut off at Richmond.[16] Meltwater from the retreating Anglian ice sheet gave birth to a south-flowing lower River Lea, and that river cut into and followed in part the line of the former proto-Mole-Wey. It flowed into the newly diverted Thames, which at that time was spread over a wide flood plain extending as far north as Islington.[17]

And, as the ice sheet retreated, west bank tributaries of the lower Lea, such as Cuffley Brook, flowed eastwards and south-eastwards from higher ground running roughly south-north through Potters Bar, down towards the newly formed lower River Lea. They, and their own tributaries, cut down successively through till left by the ice sheet, then through Pebble Gravel, "Dollis Hill Gravel", London Clay, and, in the case of Cuffley Brook, beds in the Lambeth Group beneath that.

Geology and stream evolution near Forty Hill. Turkey Brook formerly flowed south-east from Beggars Hollow (2) to Baker Street (5) and beyond. As a result of stream capture in the recent geological past, it now flows northwards through Beggars Hollow to join Cuffley Brook north-west of Forty Hill (1).

It is not known at present whether Cuffley Brook, and other west bank tributaries of the Lea such as Pymmes Brook, Salmons Brook and Turkey Brook, followed valleys which had been in existence before the ice sheet covered the land, or whether they fashioned a substantially different landscape after the ice retreated. But it is known that today's tributaries of the upper Lea, such as the Rivers Mimram and Stort, follow broadly the same lines as pre-glaciation valleys, so, by analogy, it is quite possible that elements at least of the pre-glaciation topography of the lower Lea basin are reflected in today's relief.[18]

In the case of Cuffley Brook immediately after the glaciation, that stream joined the River Lea somewhere around Forty Hill, where there is a deposit of "Boyn Hill Gravel".[19] That gravel, which is on the highest of the river terraces left by the post-Anglian lower River Lea, marks the line followed by the Lea after the retreat of the ice sheet.

At Boyn Hill time (about 400,000 years ago), Cuffley Brook and Turkey Brook joined the River Lea at points not far away from each other, north and south of where Forty Hill is today, at what is now an altitude of c50 metres.

Then the River Lea moved steadily towards the east, leaving river terrace deposits of decreasing age and altitude as it did so. And, as a contour map shows, the two brooks each extended eastwards with the Lea, but stayed apart.

However, the brooks approached each other quite closely either side of Beggars Hollow (close to where, today, the Rose and Crown public house is located on Clay Hill). The dividing line between them was thus lowered by erosion at that point.

Cuffley Brook, Flash Lane crossing, Whitewebbs Wood

Eventually, in the recent geological past, the low point between Turkey Brook and Cuffley Brook at Beggars Hollow was breached.[20] Turkey Brook thus changed its course, there to go north-east, through what is defined as a water gap. As a result, Turkey Brook joined Cuffley Brook in Whitewebbs Park and the merged stream continued eastwards along the former course of Cuffley Brook. But east of that junction, the stream is now known as Turkey Brook (and, locally, as Maidens Brook).

The route (in blue) of the former "Whitewebbs loop" of the New River (from an information board at the Flash Lane aqueduct).

When the New River was built, it followed the 30m contour from Hertfordshire south towards London, down the Lea valley. But, in Enfield, the engineers who constructed it took the New River on a loop going west, to the north of Forty Hill, and then across Cuffley Brook near Flash Lane (and, later, across an aqueduct there[2]). From that point, they took it south-east, through the water gap at Beggars Hollow, along the former course of Turkey Brook, and down towards Enfield Town.

The New River was later straightened to flow southwards continuously, to the east of Forty Hill. An aqueduct was built for the New River to cross Turkey Brook near Maidens Bridge. This left the former course of the New River as it is today, curling through Whitewebbs Park, and passing through Beggars Hollow.

The upper parts of the Cuffley Brook valley (and the valleys of its headwaters) seem disproportionately deep for such small streams. For example, from the top of Plough Hill, Cuffley, the ground falls about 50 metres in altitude to the valley bottom in barely more than half a kilometre. But we are currently in an interglacial period, and the streams would have been flowing more strongly than today at times of "high discharge, under cold climatic conditions".[21] And, at such times, soil cover and vegetation would have been much thinner than today, thus facilitating greater erosion. Furthermore, as the River Lea itself cut down as it moved eastwards, it lowered the base level of its tributary streams, like Cuffley and Turkey Brooks. That would have enabled the streams to become further incised into the higher ground to the west of the Lea flood plain.

Notes and references

  1. ^ Despite its length, and its propensity to overspill its banks at times of high water flow, Cuffley Brook currently poses no flood risk to properties nearby. See Environment Agency, 2013, Managing flood risk in the lower Lea catchment, today and in the future, pages 25 and 29.
  2. ^ a b "Flash Lane aqueduct historic monument". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  3. ^ See BGS Geology Viewer (British Geological Survey) for more information on the distribution of all the formations mentioned in this section.
  4. ^ British Geological Survey (BGS) maps at a scale of 1:50,000 which cover the Cuffley Brook catchment area can be viewed online at largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/ (Hertford) and largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/ (North London).
  5. ^ The Swallowholes in About the Wood - Interesting Features, Friends of Northaw Great Wood.
  6. ^ A Geological Conservation Strategy for Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire RIGS (Regionally Important Geological Sites) Group, 2003, page 44.
  7. ^ Lambeth Group, British Geological Survey.
  8. ^ Reading Formation, British Geological Survey.
  9. ^ A Geological Conservation Strategy for Hertfordshire, pages 12-13.
  10. ^ Gibbard PL (2020), London Thames Basin, page 335, in Goudie A, Migoń P (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of England and Wales.
  11. ^ On the BGS Geology Viewer, Pebble Gravel is currently mapped as "Sand and gravel with rare lenses of clay".
  12. ^ Dollis Hill Gravel Member, British Geological Survey. See also Gibbard PL (1979), Middle Pleistocene drainage in the Thames Valley, Geological Magazine Volume 116, Issue 1 January 1979.
  13. ^ Bridgland, DR and Gibbard, PL (1997), Quaternary River Diversions in the London Basin and the Eastern English Channel, Géographie physique et Quaternaire, vol. 51, n° 3, 1997, pp. 337-346. Online at www.erudit.org/fr/revues/. See in particular Figure 1.
  14. ^ Murton, Della K. and Murton, Julian B. (2012), Middle and Late Pleistocene glacial lakes of lowland Britain and the southern North Sea Basin. Quaternary International, Volume 260, 18 May 2012, Pages 115-142, Fig. 7A. Online at coek.info. See also Bridgland, DR and Gibbard, PL (1997), Fig. 3.
  15. ^ In Bridgland, DR (1994), The Quaternary of the Thames. Chapman & Hall, London, Chapter 3, "Harrow Weald Common", it is suggested that the "Pebble Gravel" at Northaw may also have been deposited by the proto-Mole-Wey river.
  16. ^ Gibbard, PL (1979), Middle Pleistocene drainage in the Thames Valley, Geological Magazine, Volume 116, Issue 1, January 1979.
  17. ^ Ellison, RA (2004), Geology of London, British Geological Survey, Fig. 29, p54. Online at pubs.bgs.ac.uk.
  18. ^ Brown, Joyce C. (1959), The Sub-Glacial Surface in East Hertfordshire and Its Relation to the Valley Pattern. Transactions and Papers (Institute of British Geographers), 1959, No. 26, pp. 37-50. See in particular Figure 1, Figure 4, and page 49 - "There is seen to be a general correspondence between the present and pre-glacial drainage lines".
  19. ^ See BGS Geology Viewer (British Geological Survey).
  20. ^ The breach of the low point between Turkey Brook and Cuffley Brook at Beggars Hollow could have occurred in a number of ways. It may have been a stream capture, caused by headward erosion of a short, south-bank tributary of Cuffley Brook cutting through the watershed into the Turkey Brook valley. Or a new channel may have been cut when flood water from one or both streams rose above the level of the watershed at a time (in this case, during the Devensian period) of "high discharge, under cold climatic conditions" (Bridgland, DR (1994), The Quaternary of the Thames. Chapman & Hall, London, chapter 1, "Terrace Formation").
  21. ^ Bridgland, DR (1994), The Quaternary of the Thames. Chapman & Hall, London, chapter 1, "Terrace Formation"

51°40′27″N 0°04′43″W / 51.6743°N 0.0787°W / 51.6743; -0.0787

Read other articles:

Claudia TraisacTraisac di konferensi pers Escobar: Paradise Lost, Festival Film Toronto 2014Lahir14 Desember 1992 (umur 31)Leganés, SpanyolNama lainClaudia HernandezPekerjaanAktrisTahun aktif2004-sekarang Claudia Hernandez Traisac (lahir 14 Desember 1992) adalah seorang aktris Spanyol.[1] Ia dikenal karena membintangi Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014) dan Cuéntame (2006-2018). Referensi ^ http://www.aisge.es/claudia-traisac Pranala luar Cari tahu mengenai Claudia Traisac...

 

Dejan Jakovic Dejan Jakovic (2010)Informasi pribadiNama lengkap Dejan JakovicTanggal lahir 16 Juli 1985 (umur 38)Tempat lahir Karlovac, KroasiaPosisi bermain BekKarier senior*Tahun Tim Tampil (Gol)– Red Star Belgrade 2009-2013 DC United 2014- Shimizu S-Pulse Tim nasional2008- Kanada 18 (0) * Penampilan dan gol di klub senior hanya dihitung dari liga domestik Dejan Jakovic (lahir 16 Juli 1985) adalah pemain sepak bola asal Kanada. Statistik Kanada Tahun Tampil Gol 2008 1 0 2009 5 0 201...

 

Namohalu EsiwaKecamatanNegara IndonesiaProvinsiSumatera UtaraKabupatenNias UtaraPemerintahan • CamatRubeno Gea, S.Pd.Populasi • Total12,873 jiwa (2.001) jiwaKode pos22816Kode Kemendagri12.24.05 Kode BPS1224040 Luas176 km²Desa/kelurahan11 Citra 3D Google Maps Kecamatan Namohalu Esiwa Kabupaten Nias Utara Provinsi Sumatera Utara Namohalu Esiwa adalah sebuah kecamatan di Kabupaten Nias Utara, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. Dan di apit oleh dua desa, yaitu desa Namohalu ...

Koordinat: 0°45′S 115°36′E / 0.750°S 115.600°E / -0.750; 115.600 Kabupaten Paser PasirKabupaten Kawasan Tanah GrogotMasjid Agung Nurul FalahGedung Awa' Mangkuruku LambangMotto: Daya taka(Paser) Tekad dari masyarakat akan terus berjuang dengan penuh semangat, ikhlas, dan takwa untuk bekerja dengan kemampuan sendiriPetaKabupaten PaserPetaTampilkan peta KalimantanKabupaten PaserKabupaten Paser (Indonesia)Tampilkan peta IndonesiaKoordinat: 1°26′07″S 116°...

 

Impact craters in Saudi Arabia Wabar cratersWabar cratersAsteroid impact location in Saudi ArabiaImpact crater/structureConfidenceConfirmedDiameter64 to 116 m (210 to 381 ft)Ageunder 250 yrsBolide typeIron meteoriteLocationCoordinates21°30′09″N 50°28′27″E / 21.50250°N 50.47417°E / 21.50250; 50.47417CountrySaudi Arabia Smaller of the Wabar craters visible on the surface. The crater on the left is about 11 m in diameter The Wabar craters are impact ...

 

UAE Tour 2019 GénéralitésCourse1e Tour des Émirats arabes unisCompétitionUCI World Tour 2019 2.UWTÉtapes7Dates24 février – 2 mars 2019Distance1 082 kmPays Émirats arabes unisLieu de départAbou DabiLieu d'arrivéeDubaïÉquipes20Partants140Arrivants131Vitesse moyenne40,894 km/hSite officielSite officielRésultatsVainqueur Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma)Deuxième Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team)Troisième David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)Classement par points Elia Viviani (Deceuni...

Strada regionale 213Via FlaccaDenominazioni precedentiStrada statale 213 Via Flacca Denominazioni successiveStrada regionale 213 Via Flacca LocalizzazioneStato Italia Regioni Lazio Province Latina DatiClassificazioneStrada regionale InizioSS 7 dir/B presso Terracina FineFormia Lunghezza36,080[1] km Data apertura1959 Provvedimento di istituzioneD.M. 7/01/1959 - G.U. 36 del 12/02/1959[2] GestoreTratte ANAS: nessuna (dal 2002 la gestione è passata alla Regione Laz...

 

Đối với các định nghĩa khác, xem Động vật (định hướng). Animalia đổi hướng tới đây. Đối với các định nghĩa khác, xem Animalia (định hướng). Động vậtThời điểm hóa thạch: Kỷ Ediacara – gần đâyPhân loại khoa họcLiên vực (superdomain)NeomuraVực (domain)Eukaryota(không phân hạng)Opisthokonta Nhánh HolozoaNhánh Filozoa Giới (regnum)AnimaliaLinnaeus, 1758Các siêu ngành/ngành/phân ngành/phân giới /nhánh...

 

この記事は検証可能な参考文献や出典が全く示されていないか、不十分です。出典を追加して記事の信頼性向上にご協力ください。(このテンプレートの使い方)出典検索?: コルク – ニュース · 書籍 · スカラー · CiNii · J-STAGE · NDL · dlib.jp · ジャパンサーチ · TWL(2017年4月) コルクを打ち抜いて作った瓶の栓 コルク(木栓、�...

Australian racing driver Dale WoodDale Wood in 2014Nationality AustralianBorn (1983-06-09) 9 June 1983 (age 40)Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaSupercars Championship careerCar number26Current teamGrove Racing(Endurance race co-driver)Championships0Races158Wins0Podiums1Pole positions02020 position42nd (108 pts) Dale Ian Wood (born 9 June 1983) is an Australian racing driver who currently co-drives for Brad Jones Racing's No. 8 Holden ZB Commodore in the Pirtek Enduro Cup. He currently ...

 

Liechtensteiner-Cup 1951-1952 Competizione Liechtensteiner-Cup Sport Calcio Edizione 7ª Organizzatore LFV Luogo  Liechtenstein Risultati Vincitore Vaduz(2º titolo) Secondo FC Triesen Cronologia della competizione 1950-1951 1952-1953 Manuale La Liechtensteiner-Cup 1951-1952 è stata la settima edizione della coppa nazionale del Liechtenstein conclusa con la vittoria finale del Vaduz, al suo secondo titolo. Della competizione è noto solo il risultato della finale. Finale Vaduz Vaduz2&#...

 

Potret resmi, 2011 Leon Edward Panetta (lahir 28 Juni 1938) adalah seorang politikus Amerika Serikat yang menjabat dalam berbagai jabatan publik berbeda, yang meliputi Menteri Pertahanan, Direktur CIA, Kepala Staf Gedung Putih, Direktur Office of Management and Budget, dan anggota DPR mewakili California. Sebagai anggota Partai Demokrat, Panetta menjadi anggota DPR dari 1977 sampai 1993. Referensi Bacaan tambahan Clinton, Bill (2005). My Life. Vintage. ISBN 1-4000-3003-X. The Defense Secretar...

Athletics at the1985 Summer UniversiadeTrack events100 mmenwomen200 mmenwomen400 mmenwomen800 mmenwomen1500 mmenwomen3000 mwomen5000 mmen10,000 mmenwomen100 m hurdleswomen110 m hurdlesmen400 m hurdlesmenwomen3000 msteeplechasemen4×100 m relaymenwomen4×400 m relaymenwomenRoad eventsMarathonmenwomen5000 m walkwomen20 km walkmenField eventsHigh jumpmenwomenPole vaultmenLong jumpmenwomenTriple jumpmenShot putmenwomenDiscus throwmenwomenHammer throwmenJavelin throwmenwomenCombined eventsHeptath...

 

Kipasan Ekor-merah Status konservasi Risiko Rendah  (IUCN 3.1) Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Aves Ordo: Passeriformes Famili: Rhipiduridae Genus: Rhipidura Spesies: R. phoenicura Nama binomial Rhipidura phoenicuraMüller, 1843 Kipasan ekor-merah (Rhipidura phoenicura) adalah spesies burung dari keluarga Rhipiduridae. Burung ini adalah hewan endemik dari Indonesia. Habitat burung kipasan ekor-merah pada ekosistem montana dengan iklim subtropis atau tro...

 

Phase in U.S. electoral politics (1932–1980) Fifth Party System ← Fourth 1932–1976 Sixth → United States presidential election results between 1932 and 1960 (Fifth Party System) and 1964 to 1976 (Dealignment). Blue shaded states usually voted for the Democratic Party, while red shaded states usually voted for the Republican Party. The Fifth Party System, also known as the New Deal Party System, is the era of American national politics that began with the election of ...

1933 film by John G. Adolfi For other uses, see Working Man (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: The Working Man – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The Working ManWindow cardDirected byJohn G. AdolfiWritten b...

 

يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (ديسمبر 2018) آيغومعلومات عامةالبلد  الصين التأسيس 1993 النوع خاصةالمقر الرئيسي بكينموقع الويب aigo.com المنظومة الاقتص�...

 

University in Plymouth, England, UK Plymouth Marjon UniversityCoat of ArmsOther nameUniversity of St Mark & St JohnFormer namesUniversity College Plymouth St Mark & St John (2007–2012)College of St Mark and St John (1923–2007)MottoLatin: Abeunt studia in moresMotto in EnglishOut of studies comes characterTypeIndependent Church of England voluntaryEstablishedUniversity status (2012)Joint College (1923)St John's (1840)St Marks (1841)AffiliationUniversity of Exeter (1991-2013)&#...

Fundación Venezolana de Investigaciones Sismológicas Logo de FUNVISISLocalizaciónPaís VenezuelaCoordenadas 10°28′19″N 66°48′32″O / 10.472083333333, -66.808833333333Información generalSigla FUNVISISTipo instituto de investigaciónOrganizaciónDirección Roberto Betancourt A., PhDDepende de Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y PazHistoriaFundación 27 de julio de 1972Sitio web oficial[editar datos en Wikidata] La Funda...

 

Portland Cyclecar (1914) Die Portland Cyclecar Company war ein US-amerikanischer Automobilhersteller in Portland (Oregon). Die Firma wurde von Lewis I. Thomson und C. J. McPherson im Januar 1914 gegründet. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Beschreibung 2 Modelle 3 Weblinks 4 Einzelnachweise Beschreibung Man diskutierte am Anfang darüber, ob das in diesem Unternehmen gebaute Fahrzeug Portland oder Pacific heißen sollte. Letztlich sind beide Namen überliefert.[1][2] Der Wagen wurde zwar ...