Fossils Alive!: New Walks in an Old Field

235 Pages·2008·6.31 MB·English

by  Nigel H. Trewin

F
FOSSILS
O
S
S ALIVE!
I
L
S
or
New Walks in an Old Field
A
L
Nigel H. Trewin
I
V
E
!
N
i
g
e
l

H
.

T
r
e
w
i
n
D
U
N
E
D
I DUNEDIN
N
FOSSILS ALIVE!
F
FOSSILS New Walks in an Old Field
O
Travel back millions of years in time to join wild-
life safaris and visit, as though a time-traveller,
S ancient environments teeming with life. As the
fossils come alive experience and understand
S ALIVE!
the fauna, flora and landscapes to be seen at ten
localities in the geological past of Scotland.
I
L You will catch fish in a Devonian lake 380 mil-
lion years ago in Caithness; escape a great tsuna-
S mi at Helmsdale following a Jurassic earthquake
or
and then explore the Carboniferous forests,
New Walks in an Old Field rivers and volcanoes of Edinburgh. On the Isle
A of Skye you wander a Jurassic shoreline and see a
dinosaur dine. You will observe the nuptial dance
L of ammonites from a submersible. Pick your way
Nigel H. Trewin around ancient hot-spring pools and geysers in
Nigel Trewin is Emeritus Professor of Geology
I
Aberdeenshire and admire some of the first plants
at the University of Aberdeen. His research has
V
and animals to inhabit the land. The ten areas
focussed on ancient environments and ecosys-
visited in this book represent some of the most
tems, particularly the Devonian Old Red Sand-
E
famous fossiliferous locations in Scotland.
stone of Scotland, including the prolific fossil fish
beds, and the early terrestrial biota of the Rhynie These imaginative stories are accompanied by
!
chert. He has edited the definitive reference to pictures of fossils and of the places as they are
Scotland’s geology, TTThhheee GGGeeeooolllooogggyyy ooofff SSScccoootttlllaaannnddd ((44tthh seen today with the author’s careful reconstructive
Edition, London, 2002). At Aberdeen University drawings of these ancient environments. The
N
he has taught geology and led field excursions for safaris are presented as stories but they are firmly
students, industry and non-specialists for nearly i based on published scientific evidence relating
g
forty years. to the fossils and rocks of Scotland. The author’s
e
intention is that this book will not only inform
l
the reader about the ancient environments of
H
Scotland, but also entertain and encourage
. further speculation. The book will appeal to all

T
students, academics and amateurs interested in
r fossils, ecology, and the ancient environments
e
that have prevailed at different times in the past
w
on our planet.
i
n
D
U
N
E
D
I DUNEDIN
N
FOSSILS ALIVE!
F
FOSSILS New Walks in an Old Field
O
Travel back millions of years in time to join wild-
life safaris and visit, as though a time-traveller,
S ancient environments teeming with life. As the
fossils come alive experience and understand
S ALIVE!
the fauna, flora and landscapes to be seen at ten
localities in the geological past of Scotland.
I
L You will catch fish in a Devonian lake 380 mil-
lion years ago in Caithness; escape a great tsuna-
S mi at Helmsdale following a Jurassic earthquake
or
and then explore the Carboniferous forests,
New Walks in an Old Field rivers and volcanoes of Edinburgh. On the Isle
A of Skye you wander a Jurassic shoreline and see a
dinosaur dine. You will observe the nuptial dance
L of ammonites from a submersible. Pick your way
Nigel H. Trewin around ancient hot-spring pools and geysers in
Nigel Trewin is Emeritus Professor of Geology
I
Aberdeenshire and admire some of the first plants
at the University of Aberdeen. His research has
V
and animals to inhabit the land. The ten areas
focussed on ancient environments and ecosys-
visited in this book represent some of the most
tems, particularly the Devonian Old Red Sand-
E
famous fossiliferous locations in Scotland.
stone of Scotland, including the prolific fossil fish
beds, and the early terrestrial biota of the Rhynie These imaginative stories are accompanied by
!
chert. He has edited the definitive reference to pictures of fossils and of the places as they are
Scotland’s geology, TTThhheee GGGeeeooolllooogggyyy ooofff SSScccoootttlllaaannnddd ((44tthh seen today with the author’s careful reconstructive
Edition, London, 2002). At Aberdeen University drawings of these ancient environments. The
N
he has taught geology and led field excursions for safaris are presented as stories but they are firmly
students, industry and non-specialists for nearly i based on published scientific evidence relating
g
forty years. to the fossils and rocks of Scotland. The author’s
e
intention is that this book will not only inform
l
the reader about the ancient environments of
H
Scotland, but also entertain and encourage
. further speculation. The book will appeal to all

T
students, academics and amateurs interested in
r fossils, ecology, and the ancient environments
e
that have prevailed at different times in the past
w
on our planet.
i
n
D
U
N
E
D
I DUNEDIN
N
FOSSILS ALIVE!

FOSSILS
ALIVE!
or
New Walks in an Old Field
A series of ten illustrated time-travel excursions into the geological past,
experiencing the faunas and floras, lakes and rivers, geysers and volcanoes
that have contributed to the ancient history of Scotland
Nigel H. Trewin
Department of Geology & Petroleum Geology,
University of Aberdeen
DUNEDIN
Published by
Dunedin Academic Press Ltd
Hudson House
8 Albany Street
Edinburgh EH1 3QB
Scotland
ISBN 978-1-903765-88-3
© 2008 Nigel H. Trewin
The right of Nigel H. Trewin to be identified as the author of this book has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 & 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written
permission, except for fair dealing under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988 or in accordance with a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Society
in respect of photocopying or reprographic reproduction. Full acknowledgment
as to author, publisher and source must be given. Application for permission for
any other use of copyright material should be made in writing to the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Typeset by Makar Publishing Production
Printed in Spain by Grafo S.A.
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Preface xi
Introduction xiii
The Excursions
11. Fish Foray in Forfar
Tillywhandland, Forfar in the early Devonian 1
12. Hot Springs and Geysers
Rhynie, Aberdeenshire in the early Devonian 20
13. Fishing in Caithness
Caithness in the mid Devonian 47
14. Mass Death in Fife
Dura Den, Fife in the late Devonian 74
15. The Trilobite’s Tale
Bishop Hill, Kinross in the early Carboniferous 85
16. Volcanoes in the Jungle
Edinburgh area in the early Carboniferous 95
17. The Elgin Reptiles
Hopeman, Moray in the late Permian 124
18. Dinosaur Dinner on Skye
Camas Malag, Skye in the early Jurassic 150
19. Amorous Ammonites
Bearreraig, Skye in the mid Jurassic 169
10. The Helmsdale Tsunami
Helmsdale, Sutherland in the late Jurassic 194
Epilogue 200
Bibliography 204
Gazetteer 206

List of Illustrations
I.1 Geological map of Scotland showing the distribution of rock types
and their ages, together with the excursion locations xvii
I.2 Timescale of the geological periods and relative ages of the rocks
at the localities visited on the excursions xviii–ixx
1.1 A party of vertebrate palaeontologists at Tillywhandland Quarry
near Forfar 4
1.2 Sketch of Lake Forfar area in the early Devonian 5
1.3 Plant fragments in shale from Tillywhandland Quarry near Forfar 8
1.4 Sketch of life on land in the early Devonian of the Forfar area 9
1.5 Headshield of the cephalaspid fish Zenaspis found in
Lower Old Red Sandstone, Balruddery, near Dundee 11
1.6 Reconstruction of life in the early Devonian waters of Lake Forfar
at the time of the formation of the fish bed at Tillywhandland Quarry 13
2.1 Cut vertical section through a bed of Rhynie chert showing the stems
of Rhynia preserved in growth position (A); and thin cross-section
of Rhynia stems (B) 21
2.2 Route of Excursion 2 through the hot springs and geysers of Rhynie 25
2.3 Diplichnites trackways made by large arthropods preserved in
sandstone deposited by a river 28
2.4 Sketch of plants found in the Rhynie chert 32
2.5 Model of Palaeocharinus tuberculatus 36
2.6 Model of Heterocrania 37
2.7 A marsh on Tangled Creek in Yellowstone National Park fed
by hot springs 41
2.8 Modern hot spring vent in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park 43
2.9 Sketch of the river cliff eroded in hot spring sinters deposited
by geyser activity 45
3.1 Flagstone tips at Achanarras Quarry, near Spittal, Caithness 48
3.2 Reconstruction of Pterichthyodes 50
3.3 Cartoon sketch of the formation of the Achanarras fish bed 52
3.4 Sequence of events responsible for the preservation of fossil fish
in the Caithness flagstones 52
vii