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The Rubery Sandstone lies unconformably on the Lickey Quartzite (Ordovician, Arenig Series). The unconformity surface is roughly horizontal, as are the strata above and below it. The unconformity is irregular. How long a period of time does the unconformity represent? What type of unconformity is it?
The Rubery Sandstone consists of coarse, red quartzarenite sandstones, which are sometimes conglomeratic at the base. The conglomerates infill hollows in the unconformity surface. The conglomerates consist of cobbles and pebbles derived from the underlying Lickey Quartzite. The sandstones contain casts of brachiopods, including Pentamerus and Leptaena, which are found attached to clasts in the conglomerate, or directly to the underlying Ordovician rocks. The fauna is interpreted as representing a shallow rocky sea-floor community.
The sandstones are overlain by the Lower Wenlock shales and flags, including a band of limestone.
(information partly from The Victoria History of the County of Worcester).
View of the quarry face. The lower part of the face (white) is in the Ordovician Lickey Quartzite. The upper half of the face (reddish) is in the Rubery Sandstone (Llandovery age). Note the irregular nature of the unconformity between them.
This page is maintained by Roger Suthren. Last updated 26 November, 2012