| Soom Shale Stratigraphic range: Late Ordovician |
|
|---|---|
| Thickness | 10–15 m |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Silts and mudstones |
| Location | |
| Location | South Africa |
The Soom Shale is a member of the Late Ordovician (Ashgill) Cedarberg Formation (Table Mountain Group) in South Africa, renowned for its remarkable preservation of soft-tissue in fossil material.[1] Deposited in still waters, the unit lacks bioturbation, perhaps indicating anoxic conditions.[1]
It overlies the Pakhuis tillite and is overlain by the Disa Siltstone.[1]
It contains typical Ordovician microfossils, such as chitinozoa, acritarchs and spores, and its shelly fauna is also typical of this time period.[1]