A Basic Introduction To Fossils
Where To Find Them
The map below shows the distribution of different aged rocks in Britain. It can be seen that the rocks tend
to become younger as you approach the South and East
of the country.
Wherever you live or visit in Britain there are likely to be
fossiliferous rocks nearby. The exceptions are those areas
where the rocks are of Pre-Cambrian age (e.g. Northern
Scotland) and thus very unlikely to yield fossils; and many
parts of Scotland, Wales and the West Country where
even though rocks of the right age occur, they are not sedimentary but igneous or metamorphic (i.e. have been
formed by intense heat and pressure) and so contain
no fossils.
Even if sedimentary rocks of the right age are
present they are often totally covered by topsoil or concrete and in order to collect fossils it is important that the
rocks are exposed. Fossil bearing rock can often be found
along the banks of streams or on the surface of rubbly
fields but the two most important types of exposure in
Britain are along the coast (in cliffs and ledges, etc.) and
in quarries and other man-made excavations. In both
places you must always be aware of personal safety. If you
intends visiting a quarry it is important to ask permission
first. Understandably, this is often not granted (because
the rock faces and machinery are too dangerous). On the
coast it is very easy to be cut off by high tides, so a
knowledge of the tide times is vital. Rock falls are a
constant danger where there are cliffs, as are bogs and
quicksand. In the course of fossil-hunting it should rarely,
if ever, be necessary to climb cliff-faces or approach too
near to their bases. There is plenty to find in fallen debris.
COLLECTING FOSSILS
What sort of equipment is necessary for fossil collecting? Some fossils occur in very soft clay and sand, and
simply need to be prised free (perhaps with a trowel) and
then washed. Most fossils, however, are found in harder
beds which have to be broken to expose the specimens. To
do this one requires a stout hammer; ideally a geological
hammer which has a head that is flat at one end and chisel-shaped for splitting rock at the other. In addition, a selection of cold chisels (which can be acquired in most
hardware stores) is very useful for more accurate removal
of rock. To complete the basic fossil-collecting kit you
need some wrapping material (e.g. newspaper), glue for
on the spot repairs, a notebook and pen to record exactly
where the fossils were found, and finally a stout bag to put
everything in.
Page 3
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Heterodontosaurus - Hypsilophodon
Iguanodon - Parasaurolophus -
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Stegoceras - Stegosaurus - Titanosaurus - Triceratops - Tyrannosaurus Rex (T Rex) - Velociraptor
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