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So you want to go fossil hunting? Well that is what we call it anyway, it sounds much better when you tell people you’re off fossil hunting than saying “I am off to find something that died millions of years ago and has been preserved in a rock”.
We sell thousands of fossils to people across the UK, so you might think us telling you where to find them wouldn’t be a very good business plan. But we love fossils so much we want to tell you how and where you can find fossils across the UK. So you can enjoy fossil hunting and fossils as much as we do.
The simple answer is anywhere there is sedimentary rock. While this is a wide ranging answer it can then be narrowed down slightly. So while fossils can be found anywhere, the most likely (and easiest) place to find them are on beaches or anywhere there was once a source of water such as the green river formation in Wyoming.
Adverse weather and erosion by the sea causes the rock to come loose from surrounding cliff faces. A common example of this is along the Jurassic coast in the UK. Once the rock falls this will often leave fossils on the ground or partial fossils showing from rocks. Quantoxhead in Somerset is also a very good location for this.
The tides and weather causes the surface of the seafloor to agitate and unearth fossils from underneath, these then get washed up on the shore. This is the safest place for children to fossil hunt. Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis is one good area as well as Robin Hoods Bay in Yorkshire
A quarry is a fantastic place to find fossils however they are also very dangerous places so this should only be done by adults and with the pit owner’s knowledge. Many collectors will be able to look for fossils or receive any found for a small fee but this differs from quarry to quarry. Many of these will have a sea floor already exposed but by digging just a little could expose some amazing finds. An example of a disused quarry to look in is Trefil Quarry in Wales.
Some fields after ploughing can be a great source of fossils. Where the soil is continuously ploughed the agitated soil exposes more rock from underneath and some fossils can come to the surface. An example of this is in Kingston in Somerset, where when the fields are ploughed Ammonites rise to the surface. Check with the owners of the field for permission to go on the land before hunting for fossils.
So now we know where to look, but what sort of fossils can you expect to find in the UK?
While some are much more common than others here is a short list of some of the most common fossils to find.
Ammonites are an abundant ammonite, these range from small clusters found within rock, commonly known as Marston Magna Marble due to the location and type of stone they are found in, to larger single species.
Very common around shorelines, these are the outer shell of a type of fossil squid, they almost look like bullets and are a favourite to find for children, these commonly range from small (around 2-3cm) to larger (10-12cm) species.
An interesting name for what are actually Oyster shells, these are often found within rocks and gravel and can even be found in places like car parks or gravel drives.
So much like ammonites, other forms of Cephalopods along with other Gastropods and Brachiopods can be found in the UK. Fossils Such as Nautilus and wrens nests are quite common, as are Echinoids, these look a little like starfish set into a rock and are lovely items to collect.
These are very common fossils, ranging from small sand shark teeth to larger species, prehistoric sharks lost their teeth in a similar way to modern teeth, shedding them when they were broken or loose and flicking forward a new tooth from a set already waiting, meaning these littered the ocean floor and are washed up with regularity.
This is a question we get asked alot. The simple answer is you have to split the rock open. To save time look for rocks where you see a small amount of the fossil sticking out where it has been chipped away from a rock fall or the matrix has been eroded by the tides. All you then need to do is to carefully tap away at the rock to expose as much of the fossil as possible.
You might not think fossil hunting is dangerous, and whilst it might not be as dangerous as bas jumping or lion taming, you still need to take some precautions.
One thing to bear in mind is you should never try to break a rock that is still in situ, not only is this illegal but also incredibly dangerous. The only rocks you should look for are ones that are not attached to either the ground or any rock face so can be picked up without the need for tools.
So now you are armed with a little information, get yourselves out and keep your eyes peeled and happy hunting.
