This domain encompasses all the alluvial tracts that characterise the drainage systems of Britain; it therefore 'cuts across' most other domains. It is an important domain economically, because low-lying ground of this type has been favoured for siting major communications routes, industries and settlements.

The domain has almost complete cover of superficial deposits (~81%). Organic deposits form a negligible mapped extent of the area (~0.2% of the area of superficial deposits).

The landforms are essentially the floodplain and associated river terraces. The typical floodplain consists of the alluvium of the active channel. In the larger and wider lowland floodplains, alluvial deposits commonly comprise a silt or clay/silt upper layer a few metres thick, underlain by sand and gravel of similar or greater thickness, some of which may represent the incised parts of earlier river terrace deposits. Both lithological associations can include lenses of lacustrine clay and peat-rich organic deposits; significant thicknesses peat may also be present at the surface in abandoned channels.

Mire classification (and guide to dominance within the domain)

Subjective guide to dominance within this domain	Topogenous mires	Soligenous mires	Ombrogenous mires
Dominant	Floodplain mire
Locally present		Valley mire Spring mire
Rare	Open water transition mire Basin mire Schwingmoor		Raised mire Blanket mire

Click on the mire names for more information.

Contact

For further information please contact Marieta Garcia-Bajo

• What was the climate like in our geological past (Palaeoclimate)?
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