On the fossil floras of the Wyre Forest, with special reference to the geology of the coalfield and its relationships to the neighbouring coal measure areas

Abstract

In the absence of any detailed knowledge of the geology of the Wyre Forest Coalfield, the area may be temporarily sub-divided into four regions. Fossil floras are described from three of these: from the horizon of the Sweet Coals in the Highley area in the north, from the unproductive beds of the Dowles Valley in the centre, and from the horizon of the Sulphur Coals of the Southern or Mamble area. On the evidence of the plants the Sweet Coal Series is shown to belong to the Middle Coal Measures, while the Sulphur Coal Series, overlying the Sweet Coals unconformably, belongs to a higher horizon, the Transition Coal Measures. The Dowles Valley unproductive measures are shown to be Middle Coal Measures, which are there over 1000 feet in thickness. The Middle Coal Measure flora of the Wyre Forest includes 55 species, of which three are new, two of them being new species of Sigillaria , and one, a new type of seed-impression. Four other plants are new records for Britain. The Transition. Coal Measure flora is smaller, but includes 20 species, of which one is a new British record. It is shown that both the Middle and Transition Coal Measures of the Wyre Forest Coalfield consist of red-grey measures with Espley rocks. In the Transition Coal Measures Spirorbis -limestones also occur. The distribution of these rocks is considered in detail.

Macrofloral biostratigraphy of the Newent Coalfield, Gloucestershire

“…A further 22 fossil plants from Newent are in the E.A.N. Arber Collection at the Sedgwick Museum, University of Cambridge, and are those referred to by Arber (1910). They are assigned Sedgwick Museum catalogue numbers M.2112 to M.2130.…”

“…The best available published analysis of the field evidence was given by Phillips (1848), and briefer treatments were given by Weaver (1819), Maclauchlan (1840), Murchison (18393, Groom (1910), and Arber (1914). The limited available biostratigraphical data were summarized by Arber (1910Arber ( , 1912, who concluded that the coalfield belonged either to the 'Upper Transition Series' or the lower portion of the 'Upper Coal Series', corresponding broadly to the upper Westphalian C to lower Westphalian D in modern chronostratigraphical terms. Spinner (1964) recorded that he had collected palynology samples from the coalfield, but the results are so far unpublished.…”

Phytogeography of Asturian (Westphalian D) lycophytes throughout the Euramerican belt of coalfields

“…Illinois Basin, USA Noé (1925); Janssen (1940Janssen ( , 1979; Darrah (1969); Gastaldo (1977); Pfefferkorn (1979); Horowitz (1979); Jennings (1990) 3. Central Britain (Forest of Wyre, South Staffordshire), UK Arber (1913Arber ( , 1916; Kidston, Cantrill & Dixon (1917) van Amerom (1996); Josten & Laveine (1984) 9. Central Britain (Forest of Wyre, South Staffordshire), UK Arber (1913Arber ( , 1916; Kidston, Cantrill & Dixon (1917) van Amerom (1996); Josten & Laveine (1984) 9.…”

Upper Carboniferous stratigraphy of the West Midlands (UK) revised in the light of borehole geophysical logs and detrital compositional suites

“…An exception was provided by the western part of the Wyre Forest Coal®eld, where early uncertainty as to the stratigraphic relationships of the Sulphur Coal Group (i.e. the Halesowen Formation) led to the collection of more signi®cant material (Arber 1914;Kidston et al 1917). In a review of this work, Arber (1916) regarded the whole succession from the Etruria Formation (Old Hill Marls) to the topmost known horizon of the`Enville Series' to be of`Transition Coal Measure' age.…”

“…Identi®able plant fossils from 14 boreholes have been located, mainly in samples stored at the National Geoscience Records Centre. In addition, the collections, of Arber (1914) and Kidston (1917), from the western part of the Wyre Forest Coal®eld, have been re-examined. Details of determinations are given in Besly and Cleal (1995).…”