The ‘Canada Tips’ near Blaenafon (so-called because, as part of the war effort during the 1940s, the Canadian army helped to develop the opencast coal mine that produced the spoil dumped here) are a rich source of Carboniferous plant fossils and reminder of the area’s industrial heritage.
DIRECTIONS
♦ From the town of Blaenafon (spelled Blaenavon on older signs), take the B4246 northwards towards Pen-Ffordd-Goch Pond, locally known as Keeper’s Pond.
♦ Park in the rough car park on the left of the road near the “Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy” road sign and opposite the “Y Tymbl / The Tumble” sign.
♦ Alternatively, park in the Keeper’s Pond car park, which is signposted on the right a little further along, and walk back to the rough “Y Tymbl” car park (above), from where the path to the site starts.
♦ Map of site, with car park and access path in yellow:
Y Tymbl car park (rough car park on left of road):
♦ OS grid ref: SO 254 106
♦ What 3 Words: ///playing.pints.pelt
♦ Latitude: 51.788650, Longitude: -3.082648
♦ N 51° 47’ 19.1382”, W 3° 4’ 57.5328”
Keeper’s Pond car park:
♦ OS grid ref: SO 255 107
♦ What 3 Words: ///companies.stocks.finds
♦ Latitude: 51.790195, Longitude: -3.081700
♦ N 51° 47’ 24.69948”, W 3° 4’ 54.11928”
Coal tip (actual fossil site):
♦ OS grid ref: SO 252 106
♦ What 3 Words: ///inhales.palaces.wrist
♦ Latitude: 51.788949, Longitude: -3.085959
♦ N 51° 47’ 20.216”, W 3° 5’ 9.452”
PROFILE INFO
FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦ – It can take a while to get your eye in, but fossils are fairly abundant in pieces of grey mudstone and rust-coloured siltstone and sandstone.
CHILDREN: ♦♦ – The spoil heap has not been landscaped, so younger children will need to be supervised. As there is very little here to keep them occupied other than the spoil heaps, this location may not be suitable for very young children as they will easily get bored.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦ – Parking is free in either of the suggested car parks (but be aware that they can become quite busy during tourist season). Access to the site is via a short walk along a disused road that is closed to traffic.
TYPE: – Spoil heap – Fossils are found mainly in the exposed drainage channels and at the foot of the steep banks.
FOSSIL HUNTING
This site was one of the first opencast coal mining sites in the UK, developed with the help of the Canadian army during the Second World War. The coal was mechanically separated from the other rocks, which were then dumped here, next to the opencast workings.
Plenty of small pieces of coal can be found in the spoil heaps, recognisable by its shiny black surface and its tendency to fracture into cubic shapes. Likewise, iron ore is abundant here, recognisable by its rusty colour as well as by its weight (being much heavier than the other rocks).
The fossils are found in the dark grey mudstones and the rusty orange siltstones and sandstones. In the mudstones, fossils can be hard to see until you get your eye in, as they are often a black film of coal on a dark grey background. The fossils here are of Carboniferous plants, including Calamites, Cordaites, Lepidodenron, Lepidostrobus, and Stigmaria.
The best places to look are at the foot of the coal tips facing the road or at the lower ends of the drainage channels, where the spoil has been washed out and larger pieces of rock exposed.
GEOLOGY
The spoil at this site consists of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal and haematite (iron ore) from the South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Duckmantian Substage – Bolsovian Substage). These were all formed between 318 and 309.5 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period.
SAFETY
This is an unlandscaped former industrial site, so care must be taken not to trip over uneven ground that may contain lengths of old cables etc. Do not climb the steep slopes of the tip edge, but instead stay at the bottom of the slope or in the less steep drainage channels. Do not dig into the steep banks, as this could make them unstable and unsafe.
EQUIPMENT
♦ Your most important tool at this site is your eyes, as fossils can often be found lying on the surface.
♦ A geological hammer and chisel may be useful to split larger pieces of shale (make sure you wear eye protection), although the more heavily weathered pieces can often be split by hand.
♦ A trowel or similar might come in handy to prise out pieces of rock from the ground.
♦ You will need something to wrap your finds, such as bubble wrap or newspaper, as they can often be fragile.
♦ If you have it, a solution of Paraloid B72 resin in acetone (carried in a nail polish bottle and brushed on) can be useful to stabilise the more fragile fossils in dry conditions.
♦ As the site is remote, a mobile phone may come in handy in case of emergency.
ACCESS RIGHTS
There are no known restrictions, and the site is open to public access
It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘
LINKS
♦ Buy Fossils, Crystals, Tools
♦ Location Discussions
♦ Deposits Magazine
♦ Join Fossil Hunts
♦ UK Fossils Network
Barry Taylor. Last inspected 2024 Updated 2024
