A 3-D geological model of the area between Doncaster and Retford was created in order to
characterise the thickness and distribution of superficial deposits to allow hydrogeological
domains to be derived above the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer. The overarching aim of the study
was to use a domains approach, derived from the output of the 3-D model to assess potential
recharge to the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer. The results of the study are intended to help the
Environment Agency meet its regulatory requirements under the Water Framework Directive
and Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS) and form part of its overall East
Midlands – Yorkshire Sherwood Sandstone Groundwater Study.
The 3-D model revealed a complex sequence of pre-glacial, glacial and post-glacial sediments
deposited on a rockhead surface that extends in paces to –26mOD as a result of deep incision
into the bedrock. These channels are orientated north-west, south-east or east-west. The
sequence of superficial deposits is generally less than 10m thick, increasing to 25m in places to
the east and southeast of the project area.
The area from Hatfield Moors in the north-east to Misson in the south-east is characterised by a
sequence of peat, variably underlain by Blown Sand, Glaciolacustrine silt and clay and “Older
River Gravel”. The Glaciolacustrine silt and clay is most thickly developed beneath Hatfield
Moors, but is laterally discontinuous. Elsewhere, to the west of the study area, the superficial
deposits comprise sand, gravel and till of limited extent and are generally less than 10m thick,
except in some fluvial valleys.
Seven hydrogeological domains were identified from the 3-D model and other published data
sources. The domains were defined in terms of the potential for recharge to occur either directly
into the Sherwood Sandstone or through the sequence of superficial deposits. Each of the units
making up the superficial deposits in the area was classified according to its inferred
hydrogeological properties.
A hydrogeological domains map produced via a series of GIS rules and queries using the digital
output from the model reveal that the potential for recharge is greatest in the western and central
parts of the project area, with only limited potential recharge occurring to the east
