John Hudson

Academic paper

Scottish Journal of Geology

The type locality of the Mytilus shales, the lowest division of the Great Estuarine series, is described. Detailed stratigraphy of the beds is given, and especially one rich in reptilian bones, discovered by Hugh Miller in 1844 and 1845, is discussed for the first time. The outcrop is disturbed by small faults and intrusions and partially obscured, so that the succession has to be constructed from five partial sections. The invertebrate fauna, mainly brackish water mollusks, is listed. The reptile bed itself, a sideritic limestone, contains plesiosaur remains similar in size to the Liassic species Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus. The conditions of deposition of the Mytilus shales and especially of the reptile bed are considered and analogies are drawn with the bays of the Florida Everglades.

Scotland; Stratigraphy; Jurassic; Mytilus shales; Eigg; reptile bed; Mollusca; Reptilia

English