The Wenlock epoch occured during the Silurian period between about 428 Ma and 423 Ma after the end of the Telychian stage The Silurian is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Ordovician period, about 443. ... Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ...

It is subdivided into two stages: Sheinwoodian and Homerian.

The Wenlock epoch has excellent preservations of at least 600 species of brachiopod, Osteostraci, coral, trilobite, clam, bryozoan, and crinoid fossils. Subphyla and classes See Classification Brachiopods (from Latin bracchium, arm + New Latin -poda, foot) make up one of the major animal phyla, Brachiopoda. ... Osteostraci (Cephalaspidiformes) are an extinct marine subgroup of the agnatha. ... // Headline text Headline text Headline text Headline text Bold text Orders Scleractinia Corals are gastrovascular marine cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria; class Anthozoa) existing as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically forming colonies of many individuals. ... Orders Agnostida Redlichiida Corynexochida Lichida Phacopida Proetida Asaphida Harpetida Ptychopariida doubtful order Nektaspida Trilobites are extinct arthropods in the class Trilobita. ... Maxima clam (Tridacna maxima) Clams are shelled marine or freshwater molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. ... Fossilized Bryozoa, Ordovician limestone, Batavia, Ohio Bryozoans (moss animals) are tiny colonial animals that generally build stony skeletons of calcium carbonate, superficially similar to coral. ... Orders Articulata Cladida (extinct) Flexibilia (extinct) Camerada (extinct) Disparida (extinct) Crinoids, also known as sea lilies or feather-stars, are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms (phylum Echinodermata). ...

Climate

The weather during the Wenlock is classified as being dry. Dry may refer to a state lacking moisture (see also drought), a high liquor content in alcoholic beverages, a low amount of unfermented sugar in wine, and is the name of a music album (below). ...

Naming

The Wenlock epoch is named after Wenlock Edge in Shropshire, England, along with Much Wenlock. The name 'Wenlock' is believed to be a corruption of the Welsh name 'White Church' for the town because of its white church, as it was made from local Silurian limestone. Even though the rocks are named after the town, the town itself was named after the rock. Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England. ... Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. ... Much Wenlock is a town in Shropshire, England. ...

First appearances

• During the Wenlock, the oldest known tracheophytes of the genus Cooksonia, appear. The complexity of slightly younger Gondwana plants like Barragwanatha indicates either a much longer history for vascular plants, perhaps extending into the early Silurian or even Ordovician.
• The first corals appeared
• Cyrtograptus centrifugus appeared

Artists impression of Cooksonia Cooksonia are an extinct genus of primative land plants. ... [HELP! Needs re-writing. ... The Ordovician period is the second of the six (seven in North America) periods of the Paleozoic era. ... A coral reef can be an oasis of marine life. ...

See also

Look up Wenlock in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Geological timescale
• Llandovery epoch
• Ludlow epoch

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary logo Wiktionary is a sister project to Wikipedia intended to be a free wiki dictionary (including thesaurus and lexicon) in every language. ... The table and timeline of geologic periods presented here is in accordance with the dates and nomenclature proposed by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. ...

External links

The Wenlock Epoch of the Silurian Period