Teilia Quarry
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Limestone
Description
Description The Scientific interest of this site, in technical terms may be defined as follows:- Geological interest. This is the only known locality for the distinctive Upper Black Limestone flora (late Dinantian). It has yielded twenty recognisable species, mostly pteridosperms and progymnesperms, three of which are unique to the locality. Many large specimens have been found giving important evidence on frond structure and the position of attachment of the fructifications. The assemblage is most comparable with the Posidenieschiefer flora of Moravia, although there are still quite marked differences. It compares with no other British flora. Teilia is of international importance, both for its unique late Dinantian assemblage and for yielding important morphological information on the progymnosperms and early pteridosperms. In laymans terms, however, this may be interpreted more generally, and such a description follows. The following statement should not be taken as being definitive, and any queries as to details of the locality should be addressed to the Countryside Council for Wales. This is an internationally important locality for the study of the fossil plants which lived during Lower Carboniferous times, about 330 million years ago. No other site in Britain contains any comparable flora, and the most similar assemblage known comes from Czechoslovakia. Because of the large size of many of the specimens which occur, and the quality of preservation, this is a key site for studying the early evolution of plants.