Ordovician to Silurian

Ordovician

Britain lay south of the equator and had a cool climate. Seas covered Britain and there was dramatic volcanic activity as the ocean separating England and Wales from Scotland started to close.

Silurian

Britain lay south of the equator with a tropical to sub-tropical climate. A sea covered Britain that was shallower in the south (limestones) and deeper in the north (sandstones and mudstones). Silurian fossils include corals, brachiopods, trilobites and graptolites.

*Based on The Geologic Time Scale 2012 by F M Gradstein, J G Ogg, M Schmitz and G Ogg (2012), with additions.

• Printable version of the Phanerozoic timechart 586 KB pdf
• Stratigraphical framework reports