Aspects of the sedimentology, palynology and palaeobotany of the Upper Devonian of southern Kerry Head, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Abstract

Abstract The uppermost 220 m of Upper Devonian sedimentary rocks of southern Kerry Head are described in terms of three lithofacies associations. Facies association 1 (about 49 per cent of succession) comprises fine to medium grained sandstones, with basal erosion surfaces and intraformational breccias, dominantly cross‐stratified, and usually displaying a multistorey character. They are interpreted as deposits of laterally migrating and aggrading single‐channel rivers, flowing in a southerly direction. Facies association 2 (43 per cent) comprises interbedded fine to very fine grained sandstones and siltstones, displaying a diversity of sedimentary structures, rapid lateral and vertical facies transitions, and occurring as broad sheets or channel‐filling sequences. They are interpreted as crevasse, levee, and channel‐fill deposits. Association 3 (8 per cent) is dominantly siltstone, with lenses and sheets of very fine sandstone, interpreted as the floodbasin deposits of a semi‐arid alluvial plain. Macrofloras and spores occurring in association 2 indicate: (1) major plants (woody seed ferns) grew in areas very close to palaeochannel margins; (2) a phytogeographic location within the Munster Basin comparable with Hook Head; and (3) a Late Devonian age for the succession.