New uppermost Cambrian U–Pb date from Avalonian Wales and age of the Cambrian–Ordovician boundary

Abstract

A crystal-rich volcaniclastic sandstone in the lower Peltura scarabaeoides Zone at Ogof-ddû near Criccieth, North Wales, yields a U–Pb zircon age of 491∓1 Ma. This late Late Cambrian date indicates a remarkably young age for the Cambrian–Ordovician boundary whose age must be less than 491 Ma. Hence the revised duration of the post-Placentian (trilobite-bearing) Cambrian indicates that local trilobite zonations allow a biostratigraphic resolution comparable to that provided by Ordovician graptolites and Mesozoic ammonites.