Fossil Hunting in Cumbria
The Lake District is the most popular area of the UK for hikers. It is not the most productive area of the UK for fossils, but has its fair share of locations. Whitehaven in the only coastal site, but is a highly productive site for Carboniferous plants, in excellent condition. The rest of Cumbria is mostly of Ordovician, and Silurian rocks, with a range of disused quarries. scree slopes, cuttings and streams. Trilobites can be found here, but are not very common. |
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Whitehaven is one of the only places in the UK where fossil plants from the Carboniferous can be collected on the coast both on the foreshore and cliffs. This unique location yields some well preserved specimens. |
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At Stockdale Quarry, Ordovician slates yield a variety of fauna including trilobites, corals, graptolites, brachiopods, bivalves and gastropods. This disused quarry is situated at the top of a hill. |
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Unworked since the early 20th century, Clint’s Quarry is now quite overgrown. Some areas of scree can still be found however and within these coral fossils can be collected. |
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At The fossils found at Hodgson How Quarry can be seen in the local 'Keswick Museum', some superb unusual species of Graptolites are rich in the beds at this disused quarry. This is one of the best Graptolite locations in the Lake District. |
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The hill of Barrow has a range of various types of chlorite-rich Quartz, some of these can be very hard. Other minerals can be found including apatite and glaucodot. These can be collected in the debris on the South facing slope. |
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The area of Coniston is quite large, it includes several quarries, several beck's and scree slopes. There is also a number of small cuttings. Graptolites and Trilobites are collected here along with Brachiopods. |
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Not a location for fossil hunting, but a wide range of minerals can be found in the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, Tilberthwaite Tuffs. Most of the disused quarries here are now filled with spoil but still productive. |
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At Stockdale Beck, Silurian rocks have been cut through by water and various zones are exposed. There is one particular zone in which well preserved graptolites can be found. |
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Causey Pike is over 600m high. It is a small mountain with many outcrops of rock and scree slopes. Trilobites, Trace fossils and Graptolites can be found in the scree when climbing towards the summit. This trip is hard going. |
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Stair Stream runs between Causey Pike and Barrow. During the past occasional graptolites have been found in the stream bed. These have been washed from higher beds. The ordovician rocks in the stream itself are of the Buttermere Formation. |
 Cliff |
Fossils collected direct from cliff face |
 Foreshore |
Fossils collected from the foreshore |
 Cliff/Foreshore |
Fossils collected from the cliff and foreshore |
 Quarry |
Location is a quarry or pit |
 Stream |
Fossils collected from a stream or river bed, |
 Field |
Fossils collected from a farm field |
 Cutting |
Fossils collected from road or railway cutting. |
 Scree Slope |
Fossils collected from hill or mountain scree slope. |
 Rock Outcrop |
Fossils collected from rock outcrops. |
 Lake / Reservoir |
Fossils collected from lake or reservoir banks. |
 Microfossils |
Samples taken back for processing microfossils. |
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Fossils are common |
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Fossils often found |
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Fossils are not common |
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Fossils rarely found |
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Site protected, no collecting permitted, or no access to beach |
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Quaternary
Neogene
Palaeogene
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Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic |
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Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian / Pre Cambrian |




The Lake District
Where to collect rocks, fossils and minerals in the Lake District. Includes full geological guides, access information. 215 pages.
UKGE CODE: BK0094
£18.25 (FREE DELIVERY)

The Lake District Explained
This book explains the geology in the Lake District including locations to visit, fossils to find and is full of excellent diagrams and drawings. Robert Prosser was a remarkable educator, author and illustrator, but above all he will be remembered as an enthusiastic teacher of geology. This book, originally written in 1977 has been republished.
UKGE CODE: BK0059
£12.95 (FREE DELIVERY) |
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