The Devonian in Virginia, US

Paleontology and geology

The Devonian in Virginia included an episode of mountain building (the Acadian Orogeny), which pushed up the Appalachian Mountains. Subsequent erosion of these mountains resulted in the deposition of large amounts of sediment into the shallow continental seas. These sediments eventually formed the shales and sandstones rich in fossils in Virginia’s Valley and Ridge Province. Fossils include brachiopods, crinoids, trilobites, and other marine organisms.