Brachiopods of lower shelly lens equivalent of Skelgill Shale at Yewdale Beck (Silurian of the United Kingdom)

Where: England, United Kingdom (54.4° N, 3.1° W: paleocoordinates 34.4° S, 16.4° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Parakidograptus acuminatus zone, Skelgill Formation, Rhuddanian (443.4 - 440.8 Ma)

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; lithified, shelly/skeletal, gray shale

• "The small size of many of the specimens together with the presence of Hindella, Kinella, and Paromalomena suggest a deeper-water setting for the fauna in lower Benthic Assemblage (BA) 3..."
• "The Skelgill Formation in the western Lake District consists mainly of black shales ranging in age from the P. persculptus Biozone (uppermost Ordovician) to the S. sedgwickii Biozone (upper middle Silurian). In its lowest part, however, it preserves both shelly and graptolite faunas. Kneller et al. (1994, p. 231) assigned the pale limestones, commonly with nodules, at the base of the formation to the Spengill Member. Deposition in an anoxic, relatively deep basin has been suggested for the formation, probably to the west of active fault scarps." Addition discussion mentions "slightly calcareous, shelly mudstones" just above Ordovician/Silurian boundary. Stratigraphic section lists "Black, pyritic shale with abundant graptolites" for bed A, "Grey, laminated shale with occasional graptolite and brachiopod-rich intervals" for beds B-F, and "Skelgill Shale with graptolites and rare brachiopods" for beds G-H.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: "Re-examination of the Hutt Collection (NHM) confirmed the presence of [taxa] at a level probably close to [lower shelly lens."

Primary reference: D. A. T. Harper and S. H. Williams. 2002. A relict Ordovician brachiopod fauna from the Parakidograptus acuminatus Biozone (Lower Silurian) of the English Lake District. Lethaia 35(1):71-78 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 13807: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 27.04.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Rhynchonellata
 Rhynchonellida - Trigonirhynchiidae
Plectothyrella sp.
Plectothyrella sp. Temple 1965
 Orthida -
Orthida indet.
Orthida indet. Schuchert and Cooper 1932
 Orthida - Dalmanellidae
Mirorthis sp., Dalmanella sp.
Dalmanella sp. Hall and Clarke 1892
 Orthida - Draboviidae
Kinnella sp., ? Hirnantia sp.
Kinnella sp. Bergström 1968
? Hirnantia sp. Lamont 1935
 Atrypida - Cyclospiridae
? Cyclospira sp.
? Cyclospira sp. Hall and Clarke 1893