Wenlock Epoch
E790783
The Wenlock Epoch is a division of the Silurian Period in the Paleozoic Era, marked by significant marine biodiversity and the widespread development of coral reefs and early jawed fishes.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
chronostratigraphic unit
ⓘ
geologic epoch ⓘ |
| associatedWith | carbonate buildup in many paleocontinents ⓘ |
| biozonationBasedOn |
brachiopod assemblage zones
ⓘ
conodont biozones ⓘ graptolite biozones ⓘ |
| characterizedBy |
abundant shallow-marine carbonate platforms
ⓘ
diverse brachiopod faunas ⓘ diverse graptolite faunas ⓘ diverse trilobite faunas ⓘ diversification of early jawed fishes ⓘ high marine biodiversity ⓘ widespread coral reef development ⓘ |
| chronostratigraphicRank | series ⓘ |
| climateTrend | generally stable warm conditions with regional fluctuations ⓘ |
| end | approximately 427.4 million years ago ⓘ |
| environment | predominantly warm greenhouse climate ⓘ |
| followedBy | Ludlow Epoch NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| follows | Llandovery Epoch NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicSystem | Silurian System NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| importantFossilGroups |
brachiopods
ⓘ
early jawed vertebrates ⓘ graptolites ⓘ rugose corals ⓘ stromatoporoids ⓘ tabulate corals ⓘ trilobites ⓘ |
| lithostratigraphicCorrelation | Wenlock Series NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lowerBoundaryDefinedBy | first appearance datum of the graptolite Cyrtograptus centrifugus ⓘ |
| lowerGSSPLocation | Hughley Brook, near Buildwas, Shropshire, England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Wenlock, Shropshire, England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| namedBy | Roderick Murchison NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| paleogeography | extensive epicontinental seas ⓘ |
| partOf |
Paleozoic Era
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Silurian Period NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| positionInSilurian | second epoch of the Silurian ⓘ |
| reefDevelopment | major expansion of Silurian reef ecosystems ⓘ |
| researchImportance |
key interval for studying Paleozoic reef development
ⓘ
key interval for studying early vertebrate evolution ⓘ |
| seaLevel | generally high global sea level ⓘ |
| start | approximately 433.4 million years ago ⓘ |
| stratotypeArea | Wenlock Edge, Shropshire, England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subdividedInto |
Homerian Age
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sheinwoodian Age NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timeScale | International Commission on Stratigraphy timescale NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| upperBoundaryDefinedBy | first appearance datum of the graptolite Saetograptus (Colonograptus) varians ⓘ |
| upperGSSPLocation | Přídolí, Czech Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedIn | global chronostratigraphic correlation ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.