This book gives a comprehensive and authoritative account of the basic geology of the county and its relationships with a wide range of topics, including soils, ecology, agriculture, prehistoric archaeology, hydrogeology, mineral resources and building stones.
The editor John Catt worked on soil research at Rothamsted and is Hon. Professor of Geography at University College London. The chapter authors are John Catt and thirteen local experts from the Hertfordshire Geological Society.
A landmark publication for Hertfordshire, which until now has lacked an authoritative work on the county's geology and how this influences the landscape as we see it today.
This book is for everyone interested in the county and its natural history as well as professional geologists, physical geographers, soil scientists, archaeologists, ecologists and conservationists.
1. Introduction: John Catt
2. Concealed bedrock geology: John Catt
3. The Upper Cretaceous Chalk: Haydon Bailey and Chris Wood
4. The Palaeogene Period: John Catt and Jack Doyle
5. Neogene deposits and early landscape development: John Catt
6. The Quaternary and later landscape development: John Catt and Allan Cheshire
7. Soils, ecology and agriculture: John Catt, Trevor James and the late Brian Avery
8. Prehistoric archaeology and human occupation of Hertfordshire: John Catt, Brian Perry, Isobel Thompson and Stewart Bryant
9: Hydrogeology: water supply, water pollution, waste disposal, engineering geology and canals: John Catt, Rob Sage, CliveEdmonds and Peter Banham
10. Mineral resources and church building stones: John Catt, Clive Edmonds, Haydon Bailey and Chris Green