Gorstian
The age of the Ludlow interval (Silurian), approximately 426.7–425.0 Ma according to the ICS June 2026 chart.
Language and route: English locality. English locality → international English. Named after Gorsty / Gorst locality near Ludlow, Shropshire.
Literal gloss: named for Gorsty locality
The name and its history
International Ludlow stage scheme; GSSP ratified 1980 · See attributed dates and cited original / standardisation works; first-use priority qualified where noted
- What does the word literally mean?
- Named for gorsty locality. Immediate scientific language-route: English locality → international English. This is a locality-based or geographical term, not a description of a universal geological event.
- What did the original author mean?
- The lower portion of a subdivided Ludlow succession, formalised as the basal Ludlow Stage in international use.
- Why was the name needed?
- The older Ludlow rocks were split into lower and upper formal stages; the lower inherited a local place-name to allow finer global comparisons.
- What evidence supported the original concept?
- Regional Shropshire succession and graptolite correlations were brought into a boundary-stratotype framework.
- How has geology changed the concept?
- Current Gorstian is a chronostratigraphic stage across the world; a local reference point no longer fixes its meaning by lithology alone.
Further historical context
*Naming and context.* The older Ludlow rocks were split into lower and upper formal stages; the lower inherited a local place-name to allow finer global comparisons.
*Evidence and later scope.* Regional Shropshire succession and graptolite correlations were brought into a boundary-stratotype framework. Current Gorstian is a chronostratigraphic stage across the world; a local reference point no longer fixes its meaning by lithology alone.
Editorial qualification
The source locality should not be glossed as a Greek or Latin word.
Related names
Silurian · Ludlow · Ludfordian · Graptolite · Lithology
Sources
- ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart (June 2026) — Current formal unit, order, rank and numerical age
- ICS international GSSPs: Silurian stages and boundary issues — Modern formal references, rank, locations and correlation
- British Silurian Stratigraphy, Ludlow Series chapter — Stratigraphic history and original Ludlow mapping