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Gorstian

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

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The Gorstian is a specific time period in Earth's history, part of the larger geologic timescale. It belongs to the Ludlow Epoch of the Silurian Period, which is one of the early parts of the Paleozoic Era. This age occurred between about 426.7 million and 425.0 million years ago.

The Gorstian Age came after the Homerian Age and was followed by the Ludfordian Age. It was named after the village of Gorsty, located southwest of Ludlow in the United Kingdom. Scientists identify the start of this age by looking for a special type of fossil called Saetograptus (Colonograptus) varians. The main location where researchers study rocks from this time is a quarry in the Elton Formation at Pitch Coppice, Shropshire, in the United Kingdom.

Images

An ancient map showing how the lands of Asia looked millions of years ago, based on scientific studies of plate movements.
A spiral diagram showing the geological time scale, helping us understand Earth's long history.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Gorstian, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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