The Grey Downtonian

facies In geology, a facies ( , ; same pronunciation and spelling in the plural) is a body of rock with specified characteristics, which can be any observable attribute of rocks (such as their overall appearance, composition, or condition of formatio ...

occurs in the

Downton Castle Sandstone The Downton Castle Sandstone is a geologic formation in England. It preserves fossils dating back to the Silurian period. As its name would suggest the formation predominantly consists of sandstone with minor siltstone and mudstone. The oldest kn ...

Group of the British

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

, and more or less straddles the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...

boundary. The Ludlow Bone Bed and Temeside Shales are sometimes also included in the Grey Downtonian, which is also referred to as the Temeside group, part of the Downton Series. It is intermediate between the marine

flagstone Flagstone (flag) is a generic flat stone, sometimes cut in regular rectangular or square shape and usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, flooring, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other con ...

s beneath it and the terrestrial deposits above it. The beds were deposited in a

marine environment Marine habitats are habitats that support marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term ''marine'' comes from the Latin ''mare'', meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmental ...

, with some material being washed in from the nearby land.

References

{{Portal bar, Earth sciences, England, Paleontology, Paleozoic Sandstone formations Carboniferous United Kingdom Devonian United Kingdom Silurian United Kingdom Geologic formations with imbedded sand dunes Geologic formations of the United Kingdom Silurian paleontological sites Devonian paleontological sites Carboniferous paleontological sites