Bradgate Formation

Bradgate Formation
Bradgate Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran
	Bradgate Park, which gave the name to the formation, which itself can be found here.
Type	Formation
Unit of	Maplewell Group
Sub-units	Hallgate and Sliding Stone Slump Breccia Members
Underlies	Hanging Rocks Formation
Overlies	Beacon Hill Formation
Thickness	649 m (2,129 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Pelite
Other	Tuff, Graywacke, Breccia
Location
Region	Leicestershire
Country	United Kingdom
Type section
Named for	Bradgate Park

The Bradgate Formation is a geologic formation in Leicestershire, and lies within the wider Bradgate Park area. It preserves fossils dating back to the Lower Ediacaran period.

Paleobiota

The Bradgate Formation contains the richest fossil beds within the Charnian Supergroup, from frondose organisms like Bradgatia and Charnia, which when the latter was discovered, showed definitive proof that macroscopic life did indeed exist before the Cambrian,^[3] to discoid forms like Aspidella.

Color key

Taxon	Reclassified taxon	Taxon falsely reported as present	Dubious taxon or junior synonym	Ichnotaxon	Ootaxon	Morphotaxon

Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; ~~crossed out~~ taxa are discredited.

Petalonamae

Genus	Species	Notes
Bradgatia^[4]	B. linfordensis	Sessile frondose organism.
Charnia^[3]	C. masoni	Sessile frondose organism, and first organism found within this formation.
Charniodiscus^[3]	C. concentricus	Sessile frondose organism.
Hylaecullulus^[5]	H. fordi	Sessile frondose organism.
Primocandelabrum^[6]	P. aelfwynnia P. aethelflaedia P. boyntoni	Sessile frondose organism.
Vinlandia^[7]	V. antecedens	Sessile frondose organism.

Cnidaria

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Auroralumina^[8]	A. attenboroughii	Early sessile crown-group medusozoan cnidarian.

incertae sedis

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Aspidella^[9]	Aspidella sp.	Enigmatic discoidal fossil.
Thectardis^[9]	T. avalonensis	Discoid organism, possibly holdfasts of petalonamids.

Undescribed forms

Genus	Species	Notes
Gladius form^[4]	???	Enigmatic fossil, described to be in the shape of a gladius sword.
Hemispherical form^[4]	???	Enigmatic fossil, described to be hemispherical in shape, with bifurcating radial ribs.
Lanceolate frond^[10]	???	Enigmatic frondose fossil, described to be in the shape of a lance head, which has collapsed in onto itself.

References

Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.

^ Noble, Stephen R.; Condon, Daniel J.; Carney, John N.; Wilby, Philip R.; Pharaoh, Timothy C.; Ford, Trevor D. (January 2015). "U-Pb geochronology and global context of the Charnian Supergroup, UK: Constraints on the age of key Ediacaran fossil assemblages". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 127 (1–2): 250–265. doi:10.1130/B31013.1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Moseley, John; Ford, Trevor. "The Sedimentology of the Charnian Supergroup" (PDF). Mercian Geologist.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ford, T. D. (September 1958). "PRE-CAMBRIAN FOSSILS FROM CHARNWOOD FOREST". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 31 (3): 211–217. doi:10.1144/pygs.31.3.211.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Harris, Simon J.; Vixseboxse, Philip B.; Pickup, Chris; Wilby, Philip R. (June 2018). "The Ediacaran fossils of Charnwood Forest: Shining new light on a major biological revolution". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 129 (3): 264–277. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2018.02.006.
^ Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Dunn, Frances S.; Wilby, Philip R. (October 2018). "Modularity and Overcompensatory Growth in Ediacaran Rangeomorphs Demonstrate Early Adaptations for Coping with Environmental Pressures". Current Biology. 28 (20): 3330–3336.e2. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.036.
^ Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Wilby, Philip R. (January 2017). "Rangeomorph classification schemes and intra-specific variation: are all characters created equal?". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 448 (1): 221–250. doi:10.1144/SP448.19.
^ Brasier, Martin D.; Antcliffe, Jonathan B.; Liu, Alexander G. (September 2012). "The architecture of Ediacaran Fronds". Palaeontology. 55 (5): 1105–1124. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01164.x.
^ Dunn, F. S.; Kenchington, C. G.; Parry, L. A.; Clark, J. W.; Kendall, R. S.; Wilby, P. R. (25 July 2022). "A crown-group cnidarian from the Ediacaran of Charnwood Forest, UK". Nature Ecology & Evolution. 6 (8): 1095–1104. doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01807-x. PMC 9349040.
^ ^a ^b Wilby, Philip R.; Carney, John N.; Howe, Michael P.A. (1 July 2011). "A rich Ediacaran assemblage from eastern Avalonia: Evidence of early widespread diversity in the deep ocean". Geology. 39 (7): 655–658. doi:10.1130/G31890.1.
^ Bowers, Aron. "Further Precambrian (Ediacaran) fossil discoveries in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire" (PDF). Monash University. Mercian Geologist. Retrieved 5 May 2025.

[Noble-1] Noble, Stephen R.; Condon, Daniel J.; Carney, John N.; Wilby, Philip R.; Pharaoh, Timothy C.; Ford, Trevor D. (January 2015). "U-Pb geochronology and global context of the Charnian Supergroup, UK: Constraints on the age of key Ediacaran fossil assemblages". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 127 (1–2): 250–265. doi:10.1130/B31013.1.

[MoseleyFord-2] Moseley, John; Ford, Trevor. "The Sedimentology of the Charnian Supergroup" (PDF). Mercian Geologist.

[Ford-3] Ford, T. D. (September 1958). "PRE-CAMBRIAN FOSSILS FROM CHARNWOOD FOREST". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 31 (3): 211–217. doi:10.1144/pygs.31.3.211.

[Kenchington-4] Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Harris, Simon J.; Vixseboxse, Philip B.; Pickup, Chris; Wilby, Philip R. (June 2018). "The Ediacaran fossils of Charnwood Forest: Shining new light on a major biological revolution". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 129 (3): 264–277. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2018.02.006.

[5] Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Dunn, Frances S.; Wilby, Philip R. (October 2018). "Modularity and Overcompensatory Growth in Ediacaran Rangeomorphs Demonstrate Early Adaptations for Coping with Environmental Pressures". Current Biology. 28 (20): 3330–3336.e2. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.036.

[6] Kenchington, Charlotte G.; Wilby, Philip R. (January 2017). "Rangeomorph classification schemes and intra-specific variation: are all characters created equal?". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 448 (1): 221–250. doi:10.1144/SP448.19.

[7] Brasier, Martin D.; Antcliffe, Jonathan B.; Liu, Alexander G. (September 2012). "The architecture of Ediacaran Fronds". Palaeontology. 55 (5): 1105–1124. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01164.x.

[8] Dunn, F. S.; Kenchington, C. G.; Parry, L. A.; Clark, J. W.; Kendall, R. S.; Wilby, P. R. (25 July 2022). "A crown-group cnidarian from the Ediacaran of Charnwood Forest, UK". Nature Ecology & Evolution. 6 (8): 1095–1104. doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01807-x. PMC 9349040.

[Wilby-9] Wilby, Philip R.; Carney, John N.; Howe, Michael P.A. (1 July 2011). "A rich Ediacaran assemblage from eastern Avalonia: Evidence of early widespread diversity in the deep ocean". Geology. 39 (7): 655–658. doi:10.1130/G31890.1.

[Bowers-10] Bowers, Aron. "Further Precambrian (Ediacaran) fossil discoveries in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire" (PDF). Monash University. Mercian Geologist. Retrieved 5 May 2025.

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