v. 19

Britain has a unique geological heritage that provides one of the best samples of Earth history in the world. The British rock record of Silurian times is of particular interest and importance. The Silurian System of strata, as defined in Britain by Roderick Murchison in 1835, was one of the first of the Palaeozoic systems to be internationally recognized. Consequently, the subdivision of the British Silurian and the fossils on which it was based have considerable historical and scientific significance. The sites that allowed the pioneers to hone their observational and interpretative skills and build up a geological history are equally important today. There are many problems remaining for elucidating Britain's geological history, and the development of our knowledge would be nothing without recourse to sites where the geology can be demonstrated, researched and theories put to the test. This volume covers over 100 sites that are conserved for their contribution to Britain's Silurian stratigraphy.