The AHOB Database

La Cotte de St Brelade
Jersey

General

Fauna & Arch

Site Number 277 (This is an AHOB Key Site)
Nearest Town: St. Brelade
National Grid Reference:
Lat: 49.175 Lon: -2.188

La Cotte de St.Brelade is a deep, t-shaped fissure system through the cliffs on the south-east coast of Jersey, infilled with a variety of deposits. The site began accumulating sediments at least 220 000 years ago, and reflects alternating climatic conditions, with sedimentation continuing until after 48 000 years ago. The site was used semi-continuously by Neanderthal groups exploiting the landscapes of the channel river plain throughout this period, only being abandoned when conditions were at their coldest in MIS 6. The Neanderthal occupation of La Cotte can be subdivided into two main phases: the “Saalian layers”, preserved only within the North Ravine of the fissure system (Layers H – 6.1: MIS 7-6) and the “Weichselian layers” (Layers 7.1-11). The “Saalian layers” are emplaced on top of a raised beach and were predominantly excavated by Professor Charles McBurney in the 1960-70s; these layers were truncated by a further marine highstand, correlated with MIS 5e. Th... [read more]

Horizons recorded at La Cotte de St Brelade

Unit Name	Epoch	Biozone	MIS
Level 11 (11.1-11.3) (Horz Num: 662)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 10 (Horz Num: 664)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Levels IX, VI and VII (Horz Num: 665)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	3
Level 9.3 (Horz Num: 666)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 9.2 (Horz Num: 667)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 9.1 (Horz Num: 668)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 8.3 (Horz Num: 669)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 8.2 (Horz Num: 670)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 8.1 (Horz Num: 671)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	5d/c-5b/a
Level 7 (7.1-7.2) (Horz Num: 672)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 6.2 (Horz Num: 674)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	?
Level 6.1 (Horz Num: 675)	Late Pleistocene	Undefined	6
Level 5 (Horz Num: 676)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	6
Level 4 (Horz Num: 677)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	6
Level 3 (Horz Num: 678)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7/6
Level A (Horz Num: 679)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level B (Horz Num: 680)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level C (Horz Num: 681)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level D (Horz Num: 682)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level E (Horz Num: 683)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level F (Horz Num: 684)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level G (Horz Num: 685)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7
Level H (Horz Num: 686)	Middle Pleistocene	Undefined	7