Dalradian Series

Dalradian Series, sequence of highly folded and metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks of late Precambrian to Early Cambrian age, about 540 million years old, that occurs in the southeastern portions of the Scottish Highlands of Great Britain, where it occupies a belt 720 kilometres (450 miles) long.

Containing no fossils over most of its outcrop area, the Dalradian has yielded rare specimens of the trilobite genus Pagetides, a Lower Cambrian form known from North America, collected from strata near the top of the series. Thus, it is known that the upper portion of the Dalradian is Lower Cambrian, but the position of the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary is uncertain.

Metamorphism (chemical and physical alteration from elevated temperatures and mechanical stresses in the Earth’s crust) related to the Caledonian orogenic (mountain-building) episode, has not obscured the original nature of Dalradian sedimentary types. Primary features are still evident in quartzites, calcareous limes, conglomerates, and graywackes, whereas fine-grained sedimentary rocks are represented by slates, phyllites, and schists. Current bedding can be seen in the graywackes and quartzites. Combined thicknesses of the Dalradian are thought to approach 9,100 metres (30,000 feet) and probably represent geosynclinal (downward flexures in the Earth’s crust) accumulations.

Dalradian sequences are also known from Ireland, especially in northern Donegal.