The Southern Uplands Terrane: a stratigraphical review

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Southern Uplands is a major Ordovician-Silurian accretionary terrane which developed as a marine basin over a period of c.75 Ma (495-420 Ma). The terrane extends to c. 10,000 km2 in Scotland alone and correlates with the similar-scale Longford–Down terrane in Ireland. Despite tectonic complexity, a detailed lithostratigraphy has been erected. The oldest strata are mudstones, cherts and lavas of mid-Arenig age known only in the Leadhills Imbricate Zone. The next youngest rocks are of similar lithology but of late Llanvirn-early Caradoc age. These oceanic sediments are succeeded by black shales of the Moffat Shale Group which are, in turn, diachronously overlain by huge volumes of turbiditic sandstones, siltstones, mudstones and minor conglomerates (greywackes) of Caradoc to Wenlock age. Overall, the terrane is sandstone-dominated, with other components such as lavas, volcaniclastics and cherts representing only a tiny proportion of the total volume. The conglomerates have a broadly northerly provenance, whereas the sandstones exhibit both marginal (NW and SE), and axial (NE and SW) derivation. During the Ordovician, strongly contrasting sources alternated through time. The youngest sandstones (Hawick and Riccarton groups), are notably rich in detrital biogenic carbonate, a rare component in the Leadhills Supergroup and Gala Group.