(299 to 252 million years ago)
No rocks of this age are known to be preserved within Fforest Fawr Geopark nor indeed anywhere in South Wales. Gaps such as this in the geological record are important as they tell us that an area was subject to erosion of its rocks rather than their deposition. The Permian period saw the continued levelling of the mountainous terrain which is thought to have characterised the area.
These mountains were perhaps only 10 or 20 degrees north of the Equator at the time and the climate is likely to have been hot and dry. You might compare it with the modern day Persian Gulf.
The nearest occurrences of rocks from this period are across the English border some 50 miles to the east.
What’s in a name?
The name of this period comes from the city and region of Perm in the Ural Mountains of Russia where rocks of this age were studied by Sir Roderick Murchison who was also active in this part of Wales.