Earth Science Conservation Review
| Kilmore-Drumbullog townlands ditch, Newtownbutler | Fermanagh |
| Site Type: | Stream section |
| Site Status: | local interest |
| Council area: | Fermanagh District Council |
| Grid Reference: | H43722840 |
| Google maps: | 54.20316,-7.33033 |
| Rocks | |
|---|---|
| Rock Age: | Carboniferous (Holkerian, Visean) |
| Rock Name: | Benbulben Shale Formation |
| Rock Type: | Mudstone, Sand, Sandstone |
| Interest | |
| Fossil Groups: | Brachiopod, Coral, Crinoid, Foraminifera, Polyzoan |
| Other interest: | Marine sediments |
Summary of site:
This stream cum drainage ditch lies in a drumlin belt and is notable for its exceptionally rich fauna of visible and microscopic organisms enclosed within the Benbulben Shale Formation of the Carboniferous period. The outcrop is 10 m long and varies between 2 and 3 m high. It exposes dark grey, lime-rich shaley and silty mudstones which were channelled as they formed. Individual channels are best recognised as lenticular fills, usually containing fragmented corals and other shelly debris. Two sandstone channel fills 3 and 6 cm thick respectively, contain fragmented shelly fossils while the most obvious channel is 1.5 m wide, 7 cm deep and is occupied by a limestone. The most plentiful fossils are crinoids, brachiopod shells and their spines, corals and bryozoa. The microfossils are of primitive plants in five recognisable groups and foraminifera including genera and species indicating a time stage called the Holkerian, around 340 million years old.
Of the larger fossils three large horn shaped corals stand out, Pal'osmilia murchisoni, Siphonophyllia garwoodi and a species of Koninckophyllum.
The fossils have all been transported from a richly populated shallow sea bed. Their broken nature and the fact that they occupy shallow channels, is clear evidence of movement as is their presence in deposits formed well below the depth that light can penetrate.
There are no immediate threats to this site beyond natural overgrowth.
Of the larger fossils three large horn shaped corals stand out, Pal'osmilia murchisoni, Siphonophyllia garwoodi and a species of Koninckophyllum.
The fossils have all been transported from a richly populated shallow sea bed. Their broken nature and the fact that they occupy shallow channels, is clear evidence of movement as is their presence in deposits formed well below the depth that light can penetrate.
There are no immediate threats to this site beyond natural overgrowth.
| Enlander, I., Dempster, M. & Doughty, P., 2024. Kilmore-Drumbullog townlands ditch, Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, site summary. [In] Earth Science Conservation Review. https://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/summary.php?item=205. Accessed on 2024-12-26 |
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