Old Red Sandstone
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Related to Old Red Sandstone: New Red Sandstone, Old Red Sandstone continent
Old Red Sandstone,
series of red and brown sandstones, conglomerates, and shales deposited in Wales and Scotland and in England near the Welsh and Scottish borders in the Devonian periodDevonian period, fourth period of the Paleozoic era of geologic time between 408 and 360 million years ago (see Geologic Timescale, table). It was named (1838) by the geologists Sir Roderick Impey Murchison and Adam Sedgwick for Devonshire, England, where they first
..... Click the link for more information. of geologic time. The Old Red Sandstone, in contrast to the typical formations of the Devonian, is largely a continental formation, laid down in freshwater and on land as a result of the erosion of the highlands of the Silurian periodSilurian period
[from the Silures, ancient tribe of S Wales, where the period was first studied; named by the British geologist R. I. Murchison], third period of the Paleozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, table) lasting from 405 to 435 million years ago.
..... Click the link for more information. . It is very thick in Scotland and contains a large assemblage of well-preserved fossils, particularly of the Devonian fishes. The Old Red Sandstone was correlated with the marine Devonian by the British geologists Rodney MurchisonMurchison, Sir Roderick Impey
, 1792–1871, British geologist. He served in the Napoleonic Wars but after the peace turned his attention to science. In the 1830s he undertook the investigation of previously undifferentiated rock strata in Wales and England; as a result of
..... Click the link for more information. and Adam SedgwickSedgwick, Adam,
1785–1873, English geologist. He was a professor at Cambridge from 1818. His most important work was a study, made with R. I. Murchison, of the rock formation of Devonshire, which they named the Devonian system. Sedgwick also introduced the term Cambrian.
..... Click the link for more information. . The New Red Sandstone is a thick red sandstone of PermianPermian period
[from Perm, Russia], sixth and last period of the Paleozoic era (see Geologic Timescale, table) from 250 to 290 million years ago. Historical Geology of the Period
The Lower Permian
..... Click the link for more information. and TriassicTriassic period
, first period of the Mesozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, table) from 205 to 250 million years ago.
Throughout the Triassic, E North America, as a result of the mountain-building episode that formed the Appalachians in the late Paleozoic
..... Click the link for more information. age found in the British Isles.
Old Red Sandstone
deposits from the Devonian period (British Isles, northwest parts of the USSR, and other places) consisting of micaceous red and gray sandstone and slate. Frequently found in Old Red sandstone are the remains of fish of the generaCoccosteus, Dipterus, and Holoptychius as well as large anthropods of the genus Eurypterus and specific pelecypods. It is believed that Old Red sandstone is continental and, in part, lagoonal deposits. The lagoons at times were joined with the open sea. The disintegration of the Caledonian mountain system, which had arisen shortly before, aided the accumulation of thick beds of Old Red sandstone.
Old Red Sandstone
[′ōld ′red ′san‚stōn] (geology)
A Devonian formation in Great Britain and northwestern Europe, of nonmarine, predominantly red sedimentary rocks, consisting principally of sandstone, conglomerates, and shales.