River terrace sequences are important frameworks for archaeological evidence and as
such it is important to produce robust correlations between what are often fragmentary
remnants of ancient terraces. This paper examines both conceptual and practical issues
related to such correlations, using a case study from the eastern part of the former Solent
River system near Southampton, England. In this region two recent terrace schemes
have been constructed using different data to describe the terrace deposits: one based
mainly on terrace surfaces; the other on gravel thicknesses, often not recording the
terrace surface itself. The utility of each of these types of data in terrace correlation is
discussed in relation to the complexity of the record, the probability of post-depositional
alteration of surface sediments and comparison of straight-line projections with modern
river long profiles. Correlation using age estimates is also discussed, in relation to
optically-stimulated luminescence dating of sand lenses within terrace gravels in this
region during the PASHCC project. It is concluded that the need for replication at single
sites means that this approach has limited use for correlative purposes, although dating
of sediments is important for understanding wider landscape evolution and patterns of
human occupation