Cutties Hillock Sandstone
The Cutties Hillock Sandstone is a geologic formation in Scotland, now considered part of the Hopeman Sandstone Formation.[1] It preserves fossil footprints and body fossils dating back to the Late Permian period,[2] often referred to as the Elgin Reptiles.
| Cutties Hillock Sandstone Stratigraphic range: Late Permian to Early Triassic | |
|---|---|
 Cuttieshillock Quarry, locality of some of the reptile fossils | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Burghead Sandstone Formation |
| Overlies | Devonian Upper Old Red Sandstone |
| Area | Moray Firth |
| Thickness | 61 to 70 metres |
| Location | |
| Region | Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type section | |
| Named for | The location in Elgin, Scotland, where it outcrops |
Lithology
The Hopeman Sandstone Formation predominantly comprises yellowish sandstones, mostly from wind-blown dunes, but occasionally deposited by sheet floods.[1] Fine- to coarse-grained sandstones with well rounded grains. Basal beds are pebbly. Large-scale, crossbedded or laminated and rarely contorted, some beds are friable, while others hard and siliceous.[1]
Origin of name
The name Cutties Hillock is believed to derive from the Scottish Gaelic ceide sealge, meaning 'hill brow of the hunting'.[3] The name first appeared in print after the discovery of the Elgin Reptiles in 1884.[3]
Although now formally considered part of the Hopeman Sandstone Formation, the Cuttie's Hillock Sandstone is still used to refer to the inland outcroppings of Hopeman Sandstone, particularly at Quarry Wood near Elgin. Benton and Walker (1985) argue that the name Cuttie's Hillock Sandstone should be retained to distinguish these fossil-bearing beds from those on the coast, which have only yielded footprints and very few body fossils.[3]
References
- The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details: Hopeman Sandstone Formation
- Walker, AD. 1973. The age of Cuttie's Hillock Sandstone (Perm-Triassic) of the Elgin Area. Scottish Journal of Geology 9:177-183.
- Benton MJ and Walker AD. 1985. Palaeoecology, taphonomy and dating of Permo-Triassic reptiles from Elgin, North-East Scotland. Palaeontology 28:207-234
General
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.