Silurian

Silurian – from 444 million to 416 million years ago

The view to the southwest from Abberley Hill
Silurian rocks underlie the hills to the west of the Malverns, the Suckley and Abberley Hills. They are also found in north west Herefordshire and in the Woolhope Dome and Shucknall Hill areas.

Silurian Hills in northwest Herefordshire
This is a view from Shobdon Hill looking to the north east. The valley of the Lugg has cut into the Silurian Hills here. As the river flows past Sned Wood it follows a line of weakness in the rocks, a geological fault. In the distance beyond is the Mortimer Forest where the rocks are upfolded into the Ludlow anticline.

Silurian Aymestry Limestone
The layers of rock which were originally laid down flat on the sea floor have been uplifted by earth movements until they were vertical or even overturned as seen in this Silurian limestone quarry.

Silurian Seascape
In the Silurian Period, more than 400 million years ago this area was south of the equator. England and Wales were separated from Scotland by Iapetus Ocean. The warm, clear, shallow seas were teeming with life. These creatures can be found as fossils in the rocks.

FAVOSITES – Silurian rock used as a Building Stone
The picture shows a Silurian fossil coral, Favosites, used to build a dry-stone boundary wall. Silurian limestones and siltstones have been used to build houses and walls in the areas in which these rocks are found.