Beacon Hill Formation


The Beacon Hill Formation is a geologic formation in Leicestershire, and lies within the wider Beacon Hill area. It preserves fossils dating back to the Lower Ediacaran period.

Dating

At the top and base of the Beacon Hill Formation, zircon samples were collected to take U-Pb dating on them and determine the overall age of the formation and fossils. The zircon sample JNC 912, from the top of the formation, returned a date of. Meanwhile a zircon sample, JNC 846, collected from the base of the formation yielded a date of, which would constrain the Beacon Hill Formation entirely within the Avalon assemblage, and correlating it roughly with the Mistaken Point Formation.

Paleobiota

The Beacon Hill Formation contains the oldest best preserved fossils within the Charnian Supergroup, most of which can be found in the Outwoods Member, with some found in the overlying and underlying members.

Petalonamae

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Charnia
  • C. masoni
Sessile frondose organism.

''incertae sedis''

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Aspidella
  • Aspidella sp.
Enigmatic discoidal fossil.
Cyclomedusa
  • C. davidi
    		• Enigmatic discoidal fossil.
    Hiemalora
  • Hiemalora sp.
    		• Discoid organism, possibly holdfasts of petalonamids.

    Ivesheadiomorph

    GenusSpeciesNotesImages
    Pseudovendia
    • P. charnwoodensis
    		Poorly preserved organism, originally thought to be an early arthropod.