Skolithos
The famous "pipe rock" of northwest Scotland is a Cambrian sandstone, in which the "pipes" are closely spaced Skolithos burrows. Another well known "pipe rock" is the Ordovician to Silurian Tumblagooda Sandstone of Kalbarri National Park in Western Australia, a picture of which is shown below. These pipe rocks when viewed from above, looking down on the bed in plan view, have closely-spaced circular marks that may resemble the fossil raindrop imprints we show elsewhere on this site. |
Examples of Skolithos traces
![]() Skolithos in outcrop uppermost Miocene Santa Margarita Fm near Skunk Hollow, Coalinga San Joaquin Valley, California |
![]() Skolithos in outcrop (among mudcracks) Piru Gorge Sandstone Member Miocene Ridge Route Formation Templin Highway, Transverse Ranges South Margin San Joaquin Valley |
![]() Skolithos in outcrop uppermost Miocene Santa Margarita Fm near Skunk Hollow, Coalinga San Joaquin Valley, California |
![]() Skolithos in core Phacoides sandstone (Miocene Temblor Fm) 516-8 well, South Belridge oil field San Joaquin Valley, California |
![]() Pipe Rock with Skolithos burrows Pipe Rock Member of Cambrian Eriboll Fm Loch Assynt, Northwest Scotland More or less the type area for "Pipe Rock" |
![]() Pipe Rock with Skolithos burrows Silurian to Ord. Tumblagooda Sandstone Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia |
![]() Modern Skolithos (insect) burrows (These might also by Scoyenia) Probably made by beetle larvae Indian Creek, Huntsville, Alabama |
![]() More to Come |