Hopeman Sandstone Formation
The Hopeman Sandstone Formation is a geologic formation in Scotland.[1] It preserves fossil footprints and body fossils from the Guadalupian Epoch in the Late Permian, to the Early Triassic,[2] It preserves fossils and fossil footprints from various extinct animals such as pareiasaurs and dicynodonts, which are collectively often referred to as the Elgin Reptiles.
| Hopeman Sandstone Formation 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 around Hopeman, Scotland, where it outcrops |
The formation, named for the village of Hopeman, lies unconformably over the Devonian Upper Old Red Sandstone, and it underlies the waterlain sandstones of the Burghead Sandstone Formation. It represents a windswept dune landscape.
The Hopeman Sandstones were previously referred to as the Cutties Hillock Sandstone, Quarry Wood Sandstones, Sandstones of Hopeman, and Hopeman-Cummingstown Sandstone, but these names have since been superseded.
Lithology
The Hopeman Sandstone Formation is predominantly composed of fine- to coarse-grained yellowish sand with well rounded grains, mostly deposited as wind-blown dunes, but occasionally deposited by sheet floods.[1] Basal beds are pebbly and the unit varies, exhibiting large-scale crossbedding to fine rarely contorted laminations. Some beds are friable, while others hard and siliceous.[1]
References
- The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units: 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.
External links
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.