A Carboniferous Reef

14th March 2008

The small collection illustrated here is a representative sample of the early Carboniferous reef (and associated) limestone fauna of England. Many of these are from limestones (Visean, Asbian) near Castleton in Derbyshire. I have added a few additional specimens from the USA, with the echinoderms being good examples of complete animals that are more usually found in a less articulated state in England.

View of Treak cliff fore-reef slope from Mam Tor (28/7/2006). The apron reef itself was an algal reef. Corals are almost absent in the reef, but occur in places in the shelf limestone.	View of Treak cliff fore-reef slope (28/7/2006).	Beyrichoceras sp., 33 mm. Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Goniatite, 52 mm. Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.
Muensteroceras aff truncatum, 27 mm. Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Goniatites sp, 25 mm. Visean, Cracoe, Yorkshire, UK.	Small nautiloid, 25 mm. Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire.	Euconospira conica (?), 38 mm complete gastropod with some preserved colour banding. Parkhouse Hill, Derbyshire, UK. Detail of relic colour banding.
Straparollus pentangulatus (J. Sowerby), 60 mm gastropod. Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Straparollus rotundatus, 13 mm gastropod. Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Posidoniella vetusta, 7 cm, Visean, Cracoe, Yorkshire, UK.	Streblopteria sublobata bivalve, 21 mm, with preserved colour banding. Parkhouse Hill, Derbyshire, UK.
Spirifer striatus, 49 mm, Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Brachythyris pinguis (J. Sowerby), 3 cm, Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Pleuropugnoides aff pleurodon, 22 mm, Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Dictyoclostus semireticulatus (Martin), 45 mm, Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.
Beecheria sp, 30 mm terebratulid. Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Schizophoria resupinata, Visean, 72 mm complete. Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Spirifer sp, 53 mm, Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Pugnax acuminatus, 55 mm, Visean, Cracoe, Yorkshire, UK.
Rhynchonellid, 15 mm, Visean, Treak Cliff, Castleton, Derbyshire, UK.	Michelinia tenuisepta, 55 mm coral. Visean, Lower Carboniferous, Avon.	Lonsdaleia floriformis (Fleming), 9 cm colony, Coalbrookdale, Shropshire.	Lithostrotion portlocki (Bronn), 85 mm polished coral, Visean, Ribblehead, Yorkshire.