Dwrhyd Pit
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Cambrian
Description
Description This site contains highly fossiliferous beds of the Paradoxides hicksii Zone (of the Lower Menevian Group of the Middle Cambrian St David’s Series). The zonal index is common and is accompanied by abundant well-preserved agnostid and eodiscid trilobites. Brachiopods and hyolithids also occur. The fauna indicates the Ptychagnostus atavus and Tomagnostus fissus Zone of the Scandinavian zonal scheme and enables a correlation to be made with equivalent beds in North Wales, Warwickshire, Shropshire and Scandinavia. In layman’s terms, the interest of this site may be expressed more simply, and such a statement is provided below. This should not be taken as definitive and further information as to details of the interest can be obtained from the Countryside Council for Wales. Dwrhyd Pit is renowned as an exceptionally rich fossil locality and gives a most valuable insight into the forms of life which existed some 515 million years ago during Middle Cambrian times. Amongst the forms which occur are abundant and well-preserved early forms of trilobites and brachiopods. The abundant fossil fauna has allowed this section to be correlated with rocks of a similar age in North Wales, the Welsh Borders and Scandinavia. The site continues to be an important source of particular species of trilobite and is also of great value in expanding our knowledge of the Cambrian System as a whole.