Environmental factors for around 484 million years ago in the Voyage area

Rock Name
Barnt Green Voicanic Formation

Lithology (appearance)
Coarse grained green tuffs, grey sandstones, purple/dark brown grits with some calcite veins and thin bedded siltstones and mudstones, which appear to have been laid down in water and were intruded by a few microdiorite dykes after their deposition.

Period
Ordovician

How old
Around 484 million years

Environment  of rock formation
Shallow marine – shelf sea – resulting from marine transgression

Climate
Warm. Greenhouse Earth

Latitude
57′ S of Equator

Oxygen as percentage of atmosphere
19% (21% today)

Carbon Dioxide as parts per million of atmosphere composition
4400ppm (around 415ppm today and rising)

Maximum day time temperatures
30’C

Minimum night time temperature
15’C

Sea temperature
Warm

Weather risk
High winds. Rough seas. Lightning. Thick ash falls

Midday Sun
Very low in northern sky

UV index
2

Earthquake risk (scale 1 low risk to 9 high risk)
10

Tectonic
Violent volcanic activity – subduction of oceanic lithosphere.

Volcano risk
Severe. Ash falls. Hydrogen sulphide and toxic gasses.

Top predator
Cameyoceras

Animal Life
Lower Ordovician microfossils (acritarchs)

Plant Life
First primitive land plants

Humidity

Rainfall
Heavy

Wind

Day length
20.5 hours

Days in year
420