Wether Law Linn, Pentland Hills, SW Edinburgh (Silurian of the United Kingdom)

Also known as Sk.lewisii-Cyrtia exporrecta Assoc., low Wether Law Linn Fm., Pentland Hills

Where: Scotland, United Kingdom (55.8° N, 3.4° W: paleocoordinates 15.8° S, 20.8° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Cyrtograptus lapworthi graptolite zone, Grain Heads Siltstone Member (Wether Law Linn Formation), Telychian (438.5 - 433.4 Ma)

• Originally given as Lower Member of Wether Law Linn.

• member-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; bioturbated mudstone and bioturbated siltstone

• Judged to consist of disturbed neighborhood assemblages. Fossils rarely damaged, locally in life position. Original biocoenosis. Bioturbation and high fossil concentration suggest low energy environment with low sedimentation rate. Burrow margins diffuse to well defined, indicating originally soft sediment. Fossils in aggregations.

•Overall sequence of sediments treated here "represents a marine regression from offshore turbidite facies, through shallow water facies with abundant flora and fauna, to terrestrial red beds, of Old Red Sandstone facies. Sediments belonging to the highest Cock Rig Formation and Lower Member of the Wether Law LInn Formation constitute part of the shallow water marine facies."

• Association occurs in poorly laminated, highly bioturbated, homogenized mudstones and siltstones.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Author gives percent abundance data, averaged over numerous sampled blocks.

Primary reference: G. Robertson. 1999. Upper Llandovery fossil associations in the Pentland HIlls, Scotland. In A. J. Boucot and J. D. Lawson (eds.), Paleocommunities--a case study from the Silurian and Lower Devonian 408-418 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 23299: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 11.07.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Anthozoa
 Rugosa -
Rugosa indet. horn coral
Cephalopoda
 Nautiloidea -
Nautiloidea indet. Agassiz 1847 nautiloid
Gastropoda
 Murchisoniina - Eotomariidae
? Liospira simulans Salter 1861 snail
 Euomphalina - Oriostomatidae
"? Gyronema salteri" = Hecetastoma salteri
"? Gyronema salteri" = Hecetastoma salteri Haswell 1865 snail
Bivalvia
 Myalinida - Ambonychiidae
Mytilarca sp. Hall and Whitfield 1869 clam
Strophomenata
 Orthotetida - Chilidiopsidae
Coolinia applanata Salter 1846
 Strophomenida - Sowerbyellidae
 Strophomenida - Furcitellidae
Pentlandina tartana Bancroft 1949
 Strophomenida - Rafinesquinidae
Rhynchonellata
 Rhynchonellida - Hebetoechiidae
 Orthida - Dicoelosiidae
 Orthida - Rhipidomellidae
 Orthida - Dalmanellidae
"Isorthis mackenziei" = Isorthis (Ovalella) mackenziei
"Isorthis mackenziei" = Isorthis (Ovalella) mackenziei Boucot et al. 1966
 Protorthida - Skenidiidae
Skenidioides lewisii Davidson 1848
 Atrypida - Anazygidae
 Atrypida - Atrypidae
Atrypa (Atrypa) sp. Dalman 1828
 Spiriferida - Cyrtiidae
"Cyrtia exporrecta" = Cyrtia exporrectus
"Cyrtia exporrecta" = Cyrtia exporrectus Wahlenberg 1818
 Athyridida - Nucleospiridae
Nucleospira pisum Sowerby 1839
Lingulata
 Lingulida - Lingulidae
Lingula sp. BruguiƩre 1797
Stenolaemata
 Cystoporata -
Cystoporata indet. Astrova 1964
 Cryptostomata - Ptilodictyidae
Ptilodictya sp. Lonsdale 1839
 Cryptostomata - Arthrostylidae
? Helopora sp. Hall 1851
 Trepostomata - Aisenvergiidae
? Eridotrypa sp. Ulrich 1893
Polychaeta
  -
Ostracoda
 Palaeocopida - Craspedobolbinidae
Trilobita
 Phacopida - Encrinuridae
Encrinurus expansus Haswell 1865 trilobite
 Phacopida - Phacopidae
Acernaspis (Eskaspis) sufferta Lamont 1947 trilobite
unclassified
  -
Echinodermata indet. Klein 1754
pelmatozoan