Section in a quarry at Arjun, showing bedrock marl (late Miocene) overlain by cemented Orontes gravel, in the form of a channel-fill, overlain by cemented (white) overbank silty deposits. The latter show the effects of decalcification, especially near the surface.

This process also affects near-surface gravels and is thought to liberate clasts from these into the plough-soil, including the Palaeolithic artefacts that have been collected during field-walking surveys.