Marl Slate Formation

Marl Slate Formation
Stratigraphic range: Lopingian
TypeFormation
UnderliesRaisby Formation, Cadeby Formation
OverliesYellow Sands Formation or unconformity with Carboniferous Coal Measures
ThicknessTo 5.48 metres
Lithology
PrimaryDolomite
Location
RegionEngland
CountryUnited Kingdom

The Marl Slate Formation is a geological formation in England. Despite its name, it is mostly dolomite rock.[1] The Marl Slate Formation was formed about 273 to 259 million years ago, during the Guadalupian and Lopingian epochs of the late Permian period of the Earth's geological history.[1] This formation is part of the Zechstein Group of rocks, and is equivalent to the Kupferschiefer of Germany.[1] The Marl Slate Formation contains fossils including the conodont Mesogondolella britannica and the dorypterid fishes Dorypterus and Lekanichthys,[2] as well as the gliding reptile Weigeltisaurus[3] and terrestrial reptile Protorosaurus[4] The Marl Slate Formation outcrops in County Durham and Yorkshire in north-east England.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Marl Slate Formation". BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units. British Geological Survey. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Railway-cutting at Ferryhill (Permian of the United Kingdom)". Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. ^ Pritchard, Adam C.; Sues, Hans-Dieter; Scott, Diane; Reisz, Robert R. (20 May 2021). "Osteology, relationships and functional morphology of Weigeltisaurus jaekeli (Diapsida, Weigeltisauridae) based on a complete skeleton from the Upper Permian Kupferschiefer of Germany". PeerJ. 9: e11413. doi:10.7717/peerj.11413. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 8141288. PMID 34055483.
  4. ^ Evans, S. E.; King, M. S. (May 1993). "A new specimen of Protorosaurus (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the Marl Slate (late Permian) of Britain". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 49 (3): 229–234. doi:10.1144/pygs.49.3.229. ISSN 0044-0604.