UK FOSSILS LIVE IN KESWICK
19th - 25th June 2004
Updated: Friday @ 23:00

INTRODUCTION

(Base Camp, just West of Keswick)

UK Fossils is LIVE from Keswick in June, for a week of solid collecting. Our Base Camp is just outside Keswick and we will be updating this website daily (GPRS Signal Permitting). The trip will hopefully introduce two new areas, Cumbria and possibly South Scotland to the UK Fossils website.

[Stockdale Beck]

Today's morning excursion is situated in the Stockdale Area. These were followed using the Geological Associations guide on 'The Lake District', also available direct from ourselves via UKGE, Code BK094. The first locality examined the Brathay Flag Formation. Within the Murchisoni zone, Graptolites where collected from Stockdale Beck. Samples were also taken back to base for further splitting and examination. Some of the graptolites where of excellent condition and well preserved for Ordovician mudstones.

(Stockdale Beck)

(Murchisoni zone, Collecting Graptolites)

(Graptolite from the Murchisoni zone)

[Stockdale Old Quarries]

Still following the GA Guide, The Old Quarries on top of the hill at Stockdale were also examined. A large number of corals and brachiopods were collected with a couple of Gastropods. These all where poorly preserved and will need careful treatment. Unfortunately typical Cumberland weather took over and collecting was limited due to the difficulty in seeing fossils in the wet slates

(First Stockdale Quarry, two others either side)

Gastropod

[Boo Tarn and nearby localities]

A number of localities in the Coniston Area where examined. UKF parked at Boo Tarn car park and following the GA guide. This trip was very interesting in its geology but is poor for fossil collecting. Two of the major localities along this route in which most of the fossiliferios rocks can be found was unfortunately not accessible due to high water levels in the beck's. We did take a look at the disused quarries of 'The Old Man of Coniston' which is not mentioned in the GA guide, however these rocks were not fossilferious but the view was worth the steep and very high hill climb.

The Old Man of Coniston

Torver Beck

[High Fell Quarry]

Not far from Coniston, High Fell Quarry was examined in the afternoon. Ordovician Slates where examined with a few brachiopods collected although poorly preserved.

High Fell Quarry

[Causey Pike]

Unfortunately due to vehicle breakdown, we have been limited to our local area, Causey Pike. We are hoping to visit Whitehaven tomorrow by Bus, but will be unable to visit South Scotland if our vehicle is not repaired. Causey pike has been the area in which fossil shrimps, trilobites have been found in recent years. The area which we covered can be seen from the first Aerial 3D photo at the top of this page, the GA Lake District guide covers this excursion which runs along the valley northwards from our basecamp, up and over Causey Pike (highest point on the left of the valley) and around Barrow (Right of the valley) and past Outerside (to the back of the valley). Today we found trace fossils and various minerals but very little else. Heavy Rain has also limited collecting once again.

Scree Slopes of Causey Pike

View from the Summit of Causey Pike

Trace fossil from Causey Pike, to be identified.

[Whitehaven Area]

Whitehaven is the location that we have been looking forward to all week. Rich in plant remains the carboniferous beds exposed in cliff sections and on the foreshore yielded some superb plant specimens, many of an outstanding preservation and some in life positions. In total we collected 40 specimens, but there are many more species to be collected here. The GA book also covers this area but does not mention about the good beds exposed on the foreshore. The cliff section which has been protected by sea wall and a railway for many years is mostly overgrown with exposures totally covered up, however there is still a good accessible section where approximately 10m of fossilferious beds are exposed. Beds are also often exposed on the foreshore. The beds at Whitehaven are of the Westphalian C age.

It was planned to also visit the Permian beds at Bee's Head in which a range of brachiopods can be collected, but due to time constraints of the bus network, this was not possible.

Collecting from Carboniferous Siltstones

Fossil Plant remains are also found on the foreshore

[Events Cancelled]

Due to the lack of transport whilst waiting for our UKF vehicle and the worse summer storm for a decade causing torrential rain, all events during this time have unfortunately been cancelled. We have also run completely out of food.

[Hodgson How Quarry]

Since our UKF Vehicle is still not ready, we have had to relocate to Keswick town centre, being previously located some 6 miles outside the town. After trying over 40 accommodation places in the town, we eventually found a hotel with enough free spaces for our team. Therefore we have been more flexible with public transport next to major bus routes and with a sunny dry day, have added this extra event. Today we examined the Skiddaw Group in Hodgson How Disused Quarry situated at Portinscale. We found two species of Graptolites. Photos of Graptolites to follow shortly.

60 Degree Angled Beds of the Skiddaw Group, Hodgson How Quarry