Precambrian Period
Age : Prior to 545 million years ago
Geography, environment and climate
There was no Atlantic Ocean at this time and England and Scotland lay on separate continental plates. Most of England was occupied by a sea in which thick sequences of muds, sands and conglomerates were deposited. Volcanic activity was widespread.
Key events
Several major phases of mountain-building occurred during the hundreds of millions of years represented by this period.
The Precambrian seas were populated by a range of soft-bodied organisms, some of which were related to modern-day life forms. At Charnwood, Leicestershire, the rocks contain an early fossil called Charnia which might be related to modern sea-pens but may not have any living relatives.
Rock types and occurrence in England
Due to subsequent erosion and earth movements only small outcrops of Precambrian rocks now occur in the Country. Sedimentary and volcanic rocks of this age (approximately 600 million years old) are found in Shropshire (the Long Mynd and the Wrekin) the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire and Herefordshire and the Midlands (Charnwood and Hartshill).
