The Perils of Pits: further research at Durrington Walls henge (2021–2025)

Vincent Gaffney; Eamonn Baldwin; Robin Allaby; Martin Bates; Richard Bates; Alex Finlay; Christopher Gaffney; Teri Hansford; Timothy Kinnaird; Wolfgang Neubauer; Klaus Löcker; Tom Sparrow; Immo Trinks; Mario Wallner; Eugene Ch'ng

doi:10.11141/ia.69.19

6.1 Borehole investigations: method – fieldwork

Features 1A, 2A, 3A, 13D and 16D (formerly v) were targeted for borehole investigation. Coring (as in 2019–20) was conducted mechanically with a Dando Terrier rig mounted on a small crawler unit. The rig was easily transportable and simple to manoeuvre, causing very little ground disturbance. Core diameter size was a maximum 10cm or less. Opaque, black plastic liners were used to retain the core sections. A secondary core was considered for each surveyed feature after initial assessment of the primary core in the field.

All core samples for environmental study were sent to the University of Warwick for laboratory analysis by Dr Teri Hansford and Prof. Robin Allaby (DNA, Warwick), Dr Tim Kinnaird (OSL, St Andrews), Prof. Martin Bates (Geomorphology, University of Wales Trinity Saint David), Dr Alexander Finlay (Geochemistry and Chemostratigraphy, X-ray Mineral Services Ltd) – see below. The cores were split at the University of Warwick under red light, with one half being retained there for sedaDNA sampling, and the other sent to University of Wales Trinity Saint David for sedimentology and macrofossil sampling. Tim Kinnaird visited the core store at University of Wales Trinity Saint David to sample for OSL profiling and dating.

6.2. Core analysis

6.2.1. Core analysis – overview

Six cores were extracted in the field for laboratory analysis comprising a single core from 1A, 2A, 3A and Anomaly 16D, while a second core was undertaken at 13D after initial assessment of the primary core in the field – summary in Table 6.1 (all core window samples are prefixed by WS).

Note: See also Section 2 – ground-penetrating radar, Figures 2.2, 2.5, 2.8, 2.11 and 2.14 for visual representations of boreholes within anomalies 13D, 16D, 1A, 2A, and 3A respectively).

6.2.2. Method

All cores were first opened under controlled conditions at the University of Warwick Ancient DNA laboratory. Red light was used as a light source to avoid bleaching the sediments for OSL dating. Cores were cut lengthways with an angle grinder and half of the core black plastic wrapped. The other half of the core was sampled for sedimentary DNA and then returned to University of Wales Trinity Saint David for further sampling and analysis.

6.2.3. Results

Core WS 1A consisted of a series of stratified clay-silt dominated units with variable flint content. Bedrock was reached at 4.65m depth. A possible buried soil was encountered between 2.70 and 2.88m depth. Core WS 2A was not bottomed onto Chalk. The sediments in the core were typically finer grained than those in WS 1A (Fig. 6.1).

Core WS 3A consisted of an uppermost clay-silt unit (top to 2m) overlying a flint gravel. Possible weathered Chalk was encountered at 6.9m depth. Core WS 16D consisted of stratified clay-silts overlying probable Chalk bedrock at 5.75m depth (Fig. 6.2). The lithology of the sequences in the boreholes are consistent with feature fills in most cases. However, the thick gravel in WS 3A is unusual and potentially indicates either deliberate filling of the feature or the presence of Pleistocene sediments beneath a feature.

Finally, core 13D (1) consisted of an upper red-brown clay-silt to a depth of 2.8m overlying pale yellow-brown clay-silt to 4m. A further dark red-brown clay-silt with flints lay above probable Chalk bedrock that appeared at 4.6m (Fig. 6.3).

Table 6.1: Summary of borehole investigations 2021
Core (window sample)	X	Y	Z	length (m)	topsoil (m)	natural (m)	Comment
WS 1A	415454	142717	82	6	0 - 0.3	4.65m	bottomed
WS 2A	415003	142569	80	7	0 - 0.5	6.70	-
WS 3A	414934	142565	83	7	0 - 0.5	6.90	bottomed
WS 13D (1) first core	414816	144762	92	5	0 - 0.6	4.60	bottomed
WS 13D (2) second core	414816	144761	92	5	0 - 0.3	4.60-4.70	bottomed
WS 16D (formerly v)	414907	144795	90	6	0 - 0.5	5.75	bottomed

Summary conclusions

From the sole perspective of the 2019 and 2021 sediment logs, 8 out of the 9 cores (WS-1A, -2A, -4A, -5A, -7A, -8A, -13D (1), -13D (2) and -16D), appear to hold generally fine-grained sediment that look to have accumulated over time. The exception is WS-3A, which may have been backfilled with anomalous gravel.

Figures

Figure 6-1 — Figure 6.1: Cores WS 1A and WS 2A – collected in 1m lengths: top metre (with topsoil) left, bottom metre right

Figure 6-2 — Figure 6.2: Cores WS3A and WS 16D (v) – collected in 1m lengths: top metre (with topsoil) left, bottom metre right

Figure 6-3 — Figure 6.3: Cores WS13D (1) and WS 13D (2) – collected in 1m lengths: top metre (with topsoil) left, bottom metre right

Summary tables

Table 6.2: Fieldwork – summary (2019 and 2021)
Note – Borehole nomenclature
(C7) 2019-BH01 = (7A) 2021-WS7A
(C8) 2019-BH02 = (8A) 2021-WS8A
(C5) 2019-BH03= (5A) 2021-WS5A
Method	Features
	ii	13D	16D (v)	1A	2A	3A	4A	5A	7A	8A
Magnetometer	2021 (Grad601)	2021 (Grad601)	2021 (Grad601)	2014 (LBI)	2014 (LBI)	2014 (LBI)	2014 (LBI)	2014 (LBI)	2013 (LBI)	2013 (LBI)
GPR	-	2021 (250MHz)	2021 (250MHz)	2021 (250MHz)	2021 (250MHz)	2021 (250MHz)	-	2019 (250MHz)	2016 (LBI 200MHz), 2019 (250MHz/500MHz)	2019 (250MHz)
EM	-	2021 (EM38)	2021 (EM38)	-	-	-	-	-	2019 (CMD-ME)	2019 (CMD-ME)
ERT	-	2021 (1m)	2021 (3m)	2021 (0.5m)	2021 (1m/3m)	2021 (3m)	2021 (3m)	2021 (1m/2m/3m)	2019 (0.5m/1m)	-
Bore Hole	-	2021-WS13D (core 1/2)	2021-WS v	2021-WS1A	2021-WS2A	2021-WS3A	-	2019-BH03 (C5)	2019-BH01 (C7)	2019-BH02 (C8)
Drone	-	2021	2021	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Analysis
Core	-	2021-WS13D (core 1/2)	2021-WS v	2021-WS1A	2021-WS2A	2021-WS3A	-	2019-BH03 (C5)	2019-BH01 (C7)	2019-BH02 (C8)
GeoChem	-	2021 (core 1)	2021	-	-	-	-	-	-	2021
Date OSL	-	2021 (core 1/2)	2021	2021	2021	2021	-	2021	-	2021
aDNA	-	2021 (core 2)	2021	2021	2021	2021	-	2021	2021	2021
c14	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2019 SUERC-92471	2019 SUERC-92464	2019 SUERC-92465, SUERC-92466, SUERC-92470

Table 6.3: Anomaly dimensions by technique – summary
SHLP=Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project
WA=Wessex Archaeology
nd=not detected
ID	Dimensions in Metres
Summary of dimensions by technique
Dimensions	Diameter upper (Magnetometer)	Diameter upper (EM)	Diameter upper (GPR)	Diameter lower (GPR)	Depth (GPR)	Diameter upper (ERT)	Diameter lower (ERT)	Depth (ERT)	Depth (Bore Hole)	Bottomed	Borehole Investigator	Diameter (Excavation)	Depth (Excavation/sondage)	Bottomed	Excavator	Check	Diameter upper (combined)
1A	17		20	12	2	20	8	4.5	4.7	Y	SHLP					1A	17
2A	15		22	7.5	2.5	20	8	5	≥	N	SHLP					2A	15
3A	17		21	10	2.5	20	11	6	6.9	Y	SHLP					3A	17
4A	17						9	6								4A	17
5A	20		20	11	3.5	20	12	5	≥ 7.0	N	SHLP					5A	20
6A	19															6A	19
7A	15	nd	22	12	2.5	20	20	6	5	Y	SHLP					7A	15
8A	18	nd	18	14	2.6				5	Y	SHLP					8A	18
9A	19															9A	19
10A	22											22	2	N	WA	10D	22
11A	18											18	2.7	N	WA	11D	18
12A	20															12D	20
13D	15	nd	25	12.5	2.1	16	8	4.5	4.7	Y	SHLP					13D	15
14D												23	3.1	N	WA	14D	23
15D									≥ 6.0	N	WA	20	1.2	N	WA	15D	20
16D	18	18	23	14	1.5	20	7.5	5	5.8	Y	SHLP					16D	18
Avg. in metres	18	18	21	12	2	19	10	5	5	6		21	2	0			18
count	14	1	8	8	8	5	2	7	6	6		4	4	4			16
out of	14	4	8	8	8	7	8	8	9	9		4	4	4			16

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