Where can i go to find fossils in the North West of england? (in their natural state, not from a shop!)?

Answer 1

Southport and Formby beachs have a reputation for good finds

Answer 2

The Coniston Limestone that forms much of the southern part of the Lake District contains fossils of marine creatures from the Ordovician period about 430 million years ago. The much younger (around 340 m.y!) Carboniferous Limestone forms much of the northern Pennines, and has abundant fossils in some beds.

The rocks of the Eden Valley and the Cumbrian coast are dominantly Permian or Triassic (say 260 - 240 m.y.), formed in deserts and thus fossils are very rare - but you might find an ancient reptile if you're really lucky!

Coal Measures rocks in the coal mining areas can yield plant fossils, some shellfish in the marine beds, and, again if you're very lucky, amphibians.

Good hunting!

Answer 3

There are plenty of places! But you will need to buy a geological map (and know how to read it!) first!

Lake District/ Cumbria - try the narrow outcrop of Ordovician strata that runs NE-SW along the northern margins of Coniston Water. Plenty of coral, sponge and brachiopods from the shaly limestones exposed in the stream sections up there.

The older (Ordovician) Skiddaw slates around Keswick will yield graptolites, but these are very hard to find and searching for them is pretty tedious!

The Lake District is rimmed by Carboniferous Limestone on most sides - also in parts of the Pennines, and north of Shap. These are generally good for brachiopods (Spiriferids) and corals. But better to look in the overlying Permian conglomerates ("Brockrams" beds) where many of the silicified Carboniferous Limestone fossils have been eroded out and subsequently re-deposited. As pointed out previously,the remainder of the Permian & Triassic (Eden Valley) were deposited in desert conditions, so are pretty barren for fossils.

You might also try old spoil heaps on the NW coast around Workington, or higher upin the Pennines, where the Carboniferous coal measures were once mined. Here, you could find plant remains in coal fragments, as well as a variety of trace fossils that were formed by burrowing organisms during intervening periods of marine inundation.

Beware of collecting fossils in SSSI's, or anywhere for that matter. It's not environmentally friendly to hack out rocks from outcrops (and likely illegal in SSSI's). Best restrict fossil collecting to what's lying loose on the ground, and only use a hammer to break up already loose rock.

Answer 4

by looking at the geological map it dosent look like there are many localitys in the north west...

maybe a few localitys with some carbonifous strata you might find some plant fossils...

best advise is to go to the east, jurassic coast of yorkshire one of the best in the UK...

depends what you fossils you want!

ask local museums, geology clubs, or university geology departments... they will be happy to help

but unfortuneately it appers the north west is one of the worst reagons for fossil collecting

"good hunting"

Answer 5

Glodwick Lowes is a disused quarry just off Roundthorn Road in Oldham, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the number of bivalve fossils found there. We used to collect loads of them from there when we were kids - check it out.

Answer 6

Museums

Answer 7

Type cumbria+fossils into google search and you get loads of places.

Answer 8

In New England area,I used to find old arrow heads and broken pottery and sometimes old bones in streams and shallow river beds. I assumed they were remnants of native American Indian tribes.

Answer 9

blackpool beach