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Den of Findon, Gamrie

Geological Conservation Review site | GCR #391 | Palaeontology | Silurian - Devonian Chordata

Scotland's geosites are chosen because of their local, national or international importance. Take only photos, leave only footprints: avoid causing any damage to this site. You can walk almost anywhere in Scotland without the need to ask permission or keep to paths, but you have a responsibility to care for your own safety, to respect people's privacy and peace of mind and to cause no damage.

This site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of a SSSI, and this includes unauthorised sample collection.

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Summary

In the Den of Findon at Gamrie, 2m of limey nodules in red and grey clays occur within a thick sequence of conglomerate and breccia. Fossil fish were first discovered within the nodules in 1826, since then a vast amount of very well-preserved material has been found. The sediments are of Middle Devonian age, and the fish are those that are found elsewhere in Scotland in the Eifelian Achanarras horizon lake. The site is interesting ecologically because a rich and diverse fauna (but apparently without Dipterus which is common elsewhere) occurs within sediments which would seem to have been deposited in an unfavourable and restricted environment. Articulated acanthodians are common here. Two of three syntypes of Diplacanthus tenuistriatus Traquair are from Gamrie. Many specimens of other species of fish from here have been figured in the early literature.

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