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Bucks Earth Heritage GroupIce Age in Bucks
The Ice Age, known as the Quaternary Period, started 2.6 million years ago and the last glaciation ended only 10,000 years ago. Fossils of the Ice Age from Buckinghamshire are mostly derived from the end of the last cold phase (known as the Devensian). These are most often found in sand and gravel deposits from ancient river channels. However, they can also be found in the sediments of previous cold phases or the warm periods between ice advances (interglacial deposits) such as those found at College Lake, Pitstone. These older deposits are rare, explaining why they are protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Local Geological Sites (LGS).
As soon as possible any tooth, tusk or bone from an Ice Age mammal should be kept wet, and then completely drenched in PVA glue. Better still, immerse in a milky suspension of PVA in water (PVA should ideally be neutral pH and with 20% plasticiser) for about a month, and dry out very slowly, inspecting daily and adding more PVA to any open cracks. Avoid any extreme environmental changes (eg humidity or temperature). If this is not done the object will disintegrate as it dries.
Quaternary gravels at Newport Pagnell in 1999, this quarry is now backfilled and no exposures exist of this unit for training or research
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