and Silurian (439-408 Ma.) ( Lower Palaeozoic) times. Part 1 of 3
Britain and
Scotland come together: Ordovician(510-439 Ma.)
and Silurian
(439-408 Ma.) ( Lower Palaeozoic) times. Part
1 of 3
During
Ordovician times, most of Scotland and N. Ireland were
separated from
England & Wales by a wide ocean called Iapetus
. Scotland and
northern Ireland formed part of an ancient
continent
called Laurentia, now N. America while England, Wales & Southern
Ireland formed part of a continent called Avalonia which was about 30
deg. south of the equator. (See diagram).
The Skiddaw Slates (or Skiddaw Group) of the Lake District consist of metamorphosed marine sediments laid down on the northern margin of Avalonia. These slates can now be seen in the northern part of the Lake District, e.g. around Blencathra and Skiddaw.
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