The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units — Result Details

Anstruther Formation

Computer Code: ARBS Preferred Map Code: ARBS
Status Code: Full
Age range: Asbian Substage (CR) — Asbian Substage (CR)
Lithological Description: Mudstone, siltstone and sandstone in thin cycles with thin beds of limestone, dolomite and coal. Predominantly non-marine origin.
Definition of Lower Boundary: Not known at outcrop; would be taken at the lithological change from the sandstone dominated sequences of the underlying Fife Ness Formation into relatively mudstone/siltstone-rich cyclical deposits.
Definition of Upper Boundary: The conformable top of the Formation lies in a transitional sequence to the Pittenweem Formation and is taken at the base of the Cuniger Rock Marine Band.
Thickness: Maximum thickness exceeds 810m in east Fife
Geographical Limits: East Fife.
Parent Unit: Strathclyde Group (SYG)
Previous Name(s): Anstruther Beds [Obsolete Name and Code: Use ARBS] (-3172)
Alternative Name(s): none recorded or not applicable
Stratotypes:
Partial Type Section  Anstruther Wester on the Fife coast. 
Partial Type Section  Cuniger Rock on the Fife coast. 
Partial Type Section  Billow Ness on the Fife coast. 
Reference(s):
Browne, M A E. 1986. The Classification of the Lower Carboniferous in Fife and Lothian. Scottish Journal of Geology, Vol. 22, 422-425. 
Forsyth, I H and Chisholm, J I, 1977. The geology of east Fife. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. 
1:50K maps on which the lithostratigraphical unit is found, and map code used:
S040 S032 S032 S049 S041