Devonian

Devonian – from 416 million to 359 million years ago

Sandstone hills and mudstone valleys
Gently rolling countryside with hills capped by sandstone and softer mudstones underlying the valleys can be seen from the picnic area above Swardon Quarry on the Dormington to Mordiford Road.

Devonian Sandstone
Close up of former river cliff Roos-on-Wye.

Deposits of ancient rivers - Ross-on-Wye

Deposits of ancient rivers at Wilton Bluff, Ross-on-Wye
The rock in the cliffs at Wilton Bluff, Ross-on-Wye, is composed of sediment laid down by streams crossing a bare dry land surface.

A Similar environment of deposition in present day Kyrgyzstan
A similar environment of deposition in present day Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. Sediment is brought down from the mountains and deposited in the lowlands by streams which are constantly changing their course.

Devonian Sandstones used to build Yarkhill Church
These Devonian Sandstones show current bedding, sloping layers which were the successive positions of the bank of the river channel.