Caithness Flagstone Group
| Caithness Flagstone Group | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Eifelian (Devonian) | |
 The Sandwick Fish Bed | |
| Type | Group |
| Unit of | Old Red Sandstone Supergroup |
| Sub-units | Upper Stromness Flagstone Formation, Lower Stromness Flagstone Formation |
| Underlies | Eday Group |
| Overlies | Yesnaby Sandstone Group |
| Thickness | over 2,000 m (6,600 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Mudstone, siltstone |
| Location | |
| Region | Orkney, Shetland, Highland |
| Country |  Scotland |
| Extent | Moray Firth to Shetland |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Caithness |
The Caithness Flagstone Group is a
rock strata) in northern Scotland. The name is derived from the traditional county of Caithness where the strata are well exposed, especially in coastal cliffs.[1]
Outcrops
These rocks are exposed, along the Moray Firth and along the eastern side of Sutherland and throughout Caithness, across Orkney and, to a rather lesser extent, in Shetland.
Lithology and stratigraphy
The Group comprises the Upper Stromness Flagstone Formation and the Lower Stromness Flagstone Formation laid down in the lacustrine Orcadian Basin during the Eifelian Stage of the Devonian Period.
It contains numerous
Sandwick Fish Bed which defines the junction of the two formations and from which a diverse range of fish fossils have been recovered.[2]
References
- ^ British Geological Survey. "Caithness Flagstone Group". Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ British Geological Survey 1:50,000 scale geological map (Scotland) sheets 109, 110, 115 & 116, and 1:100,000 scale Orkney Islands (special sheet)