SAFTEY AND AUTHORITY. So you’re intrigued and have seen a few fossil sites of interest, however, you are not sure where to start? So to help, we’ve put together a list of fossil collecting sites in Britain which relate to the map below.
Safety is of the upmost importance at all times, avoid cliff faces and note the high and low tides (http://www.ntslf.org) on the day of your intended visit to avoid any unnecessary emergency service call outs. Being trapped by the tide is a common occurrence. Hard hats are essential and should be worn at all times. Make sure you have permission and are not trespassing, especially before any collecting and excavation work is undertaken. Avoid taking children into any dangerous areas or activities.
Do please check sites are available for excavating before visiting, as restrictions are implemented and access can change, you may be prosecuted if found collecting without permission in some areas.
EQUIPMENT. A good pickaxe with a blunt hammer on one end is essential for opening any medium sized rocks, Particularly nodules containing ammonites. Water proof clothes are essential in case of any sudden changes in the weather along with a pair of stout walking boots, high visibility jackets are advisable. Making a note on coastal maps of beach exits points is a consideration, It is all to easy to be so involved in fossicking that one neglects to keep a watchful eye on the rising tide.
A note book for diagrams and locations of finds is a good aid for returning to a particularly fruitful spot. A study bag for finds and always remember the usual fluids to hydrate on hot days.
THE BEACH. The beach, or foreshore, is an excellent area for locating newly exposed fossil falls, weathering out at high tide mark and washing up onto the beach during the flow and ebb of the tides. Alternatively fossil bearing rocks can be brought to the foreshore from localised underwater rock shelfs, when broken off in storms. A good plan maybe to determine what kind of beach-coming you want to attempt beforehand, especially if its a first visit to the area. You can also find fossils amongst rocks and rock pools. ‘’Remember to be aware of loose cliff faces and falling rocks at all times.’’
Keeping a vigilant eye on the tide line, particularly on the eastern coasts, may bring you some good fortune, Amber or Jet occasionally being washed ashore. A good place for Jet is Whitby, N.Yorkshire and Southwold, Suffolk, for fossil Amber’s.
We have knowledge of professionals and amateurs attempting to take on such rigorous tasks, only to find the cliff walls crumble and collapse causing injuries. Digging out fossils weakens cliff faces, fossil removal creates gaps and increases unnecessary coastal erosion.
Keeping away from cliff faces is advised, and knowing your weather and tidal limits and when to avoid certain cliff top dwellings or hazardous areas such as overburdens is recommended. If you’re not entirely sure then do stay away from these areas.
OPTIMUM COLLECTING TIMES. After a storm and in conjunction with a spring high tide can bring success. Storms and higher tides increase erosion of the cliff face bringing fossiliferous rock onto the beach area. A spring tide (after a full moon cycle), is a good time, when occurs the greatest movement, the distance between high and low water marks, also exposing rock beds at low water normally covered by the sea.
After a king tide (Sun and Moon aline and have a maximum gravitational pull on the tides), event, which occurs twice a year, can be an excellent time to collect. Neap tides when high and low tides are just after the first or third quarter of the Moons cycle, when tidal movement is least difference between the high and low water marks, could prove fruitful for collecting floating debris such as Amber and Jet.
SCREE SLOPES. Scree slopes are heaped mounds of deposited rock material leading back from the beach with cliffs behind them, some with a steadily declining loose surface underfoot. These are good opportunities for easy finds, as fossils may fall from the cliffs in bad weather, however caution is advised and local knowledge and warnings on safety must be adhered too. Hastings is a good place for this type of fossil scree.
