Silurian of the Midland Valley of Scotland and Ireland

Abstract

The Silurian rocks and fossils of the Midland Valley of Scotland, and its extension across the northern parts of Ireland, have fascinated and challenged geologists for over 150 years. The spectacular diversity of facies and faunas, displayed in a series of inliers, is matched by contrasts in scenery from the rugged Atlantic coast of western Ireland to the undulating hills and heather moors on the northern margin of the Southern Uplands. Here, tectonic events near the climax of the Caledonian orogenic cycle served to fashion a mosaic of dynamic sedimentary environments on the Laurentian margin, at an exciting time in Earth history, as life established its foothold on the land.