v. 18

The Cambrian and Ordovician systems are recognised worldwide as two of the major divisions of geological time. Together they represent a period of 100 million years, during which time the seas, the continents and the biosphere underwent great changes. Vast numbers of fossil species have been described from the varied suite of environmental settings represented in the British Cambrian and Ordovician rocks; many of them are taxonomically important and many are representative of geologically and geographically widespread groups. Research on British Cambrian and Ordovician stratigraphy has contributed significantly to the global understanding of this important period. This volume describes some 130 sites that encapsulate key features of the Cambrian and Ordovician in Britain, and the reference list provides an entry to the extensive literature on the subject.