The sand and gravel resources of the country around Witham, Essex : description of 1:25,000 resource sheet TL 81

It has become increasingly clear in recent years that an assessment of resources of many minerals should be undertaken. This is the second Report of the Mineral Assessment Unit which was setup in May 1968 to undertake such work. It describes and quantifies the resources of sand and gravel of 100 km2 of country around Witham, Essex, shown on the accompanying 1: 25 000 Resource Map TL 81. This survey is concerned with assessing sand and gravel resources on a regional scale at the indicated level: the deposits are not outlined completely nor their grade established throughout. The work may be regarded as the application to large areas of methods used commercially for evaluating reserves on small sites. It may also be regarded as an extension of geological mapping by providing information about the thickness and quality of deposits. The survey was conducted by Mr. H. J. E. Haggard, assisted by Mr. J. D. Ambrose, Mr. A. R. Clayton and Mr. E. F. P. Nickless as field officers who supervised the drilling and sampling programme. Mr. Clayton and Mr. C. H. Eaton helped in the preparation of data for this publication. Mr. J. H. Hull contributed to and compiled Appendix A. The work is based on a geological survey at 1 : 10560 in 1967 by Dr. C. R. Bristow (East Anglia and South-East England Unit) who has also helped in the geological interpretation. Mr. J. W. Gardner, C.B.E. (Land Agent) has been responsible for negotiating access to land for drilling. The ready cooperation of land owners and tenants in this work is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks are due to Dr. T. L. Thomas of the Royal School of Mines, London for his advice on methods of resource calculation. Financial support for the survey was provided by the Department of the Environment.