AbstractThe use of fluxgate gradiometry to investigate archaeological features under >1 m of alluvium is a known problem. However, the frequent opinion that gradiometry has no role in the alluvial environment is incorrect. It is more accurate to say that the results of geophysical surveys are highly variable, as it is often overlooked that the survey results provide other information, most notably of a palaeoenvironmental nature. Four brief case studies are used to illustrate this point. These examples are drawn from geophysical surveys in the valleys of the River Trent, River Tame and River Great Ouse in the English Midlands. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.