Tag: Echinoids

Dorset by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Pirates Cove

Pirates Cove, near Wyke Regis, is a small but highly productive section of Corallian cliffs, offering a rich and varied fossil assemblage. The easily accessible foreshore, when conditions allow, yields abundant gastropods, bivalves and echinoids, often weathering out from the soft limestones and clays. While compact in size, the diversity of fossils and regular fresh exposure make it a rewarding stop, especially when combined with nearby fossil hunting locations along this stretch of coast.Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Dorset by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Swanage Bay

This varied Cretaceous site offers a refreshing contrast to Dorset’s more famous Jurassic locations, exposing a mix of Chalk, Greensand and underlying Wealden deposits. The foreshore and cliffs can yield a diverse range of fossils, including echinoids, bivalves, brachiopods and occasional ammonites from the Chalk, alongside rarer finds such as dinosaur bone fragments from the Wealden. With multiple formations represented, it provides a unique opportunity to collect across different Cretaceous environments in one location. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Dorset by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Coastal view at Langton Herring

Langton Herring

The Fleet-side exposures near Langton Herring preserve Bathonian shell beds and brachiopod-rich limestone in a varied Jurassic succession. Oyster banks, encrusting organisms and separate marker horizons are of specialist interest, but reserve access and collecting restrictions mean that an ordinary visit should stay on public paths. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

Dorset by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Cogden Beach

Cogden’s shingle beach, east of Hive Beach, borders low exposures of Frome Clay and basal Forest Marble. Bivalves, brachiopods and occasional small gastropods occur in mudstone, cementstone and loose shelly slabs, while patchy exposure and a steeply shelving shore shape what can safely be observed. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

Devon by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Pinhay Bay

Pinhay Bay is a remote and geologically complex stretch of the East Devon coast, exposing rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous within a single location. Less visited than nearby Lyme Regis, the bay can reward determined collectors with a wide range of fossils, including Blue Lias ammonites, Triassic bivalves, fish remains and Chalk echinoids, all scattered amongst landslips, fallen blocks and the rugged foreshore.Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦
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Devon by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Charton Bay

Charton Bay is a remote and rewarding East Devon location, reached via a long walk from Lyme Regis, exposing a mix of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits along a largely undisturbed stretch of coastline. This quiet beach yields a surprising range of fossils, including Blue Lias ammonites, Langport Member bivalves such as Plagiostoma, and Cretaceous echinoids, making it a fascinating spot for collectors willing to make the effort and explore beyond the more popular sites.Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Devon by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Haven Cliff, Seaton

Haven Cliff at Seaton is an actively eroding coastal site, where recent landslides have exposed fresh material from the Chalk and Upper Greensand. The foreshore and fallen blocks can yield a range of fossils, including echinoids, ammonites and bivalves, particularly after storms and at low tide. With regular cliff falls supplying new material, it can be a productive location for collectors willing to search carefully.Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦
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Devon by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Seaton Hole

Seaton Hole, at the western end of Seaton Bay, exposes fossil-bearing Upper Greensand and Chalk beneath White Cliff. Oysters, other bivalves and echinoids are useful finds to recognise in naturally weathered loose material, with rarer ammonites also recorded. Red Triassic mudstones below the Cretaceous rocks reveal a much older chapter of the coast’s history. Visit only when the tide and beach conditions leave a safe route well clear of the unstable cliffs. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

Devon by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Beer Head

Beer Head’s condensed Cenomanian limestones and younger flinty Chalk preserve a detailed record of changing Cretaceous seas. Echinoids, ammonites, brachiopods and other shells occur in different beds, while hardgrounds and reworked fossils reveal important gaps in deposition. This is a demanding coastal locality beneath high, unstable cliffs. The current Under Hooken path closure affects the old approach; use the open cliff-top route for views, and establish current safe, permitted access before planning any foreshore visit. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

Devon by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Hooken Cliff

Hooken Cliff exposes fossil-rich Chalk and Upper Greensand east of Branscombe Mouth. Echinoids, shells, ammonites and microscopic fossils record changing Cretaceous seas, while the great landslip has displaced parts of the succession into spectacular coastal masses. Visitors may see fossils in weathered loose material, but unstable cliffs, tides and the current Under Hooken path closure make careful route planning essential. Published sections are scientific records, not promises of safe access or plentiful finds. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Somerset by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Quantoxhead

Quantoxhead is a quiet and expansive stretch of the Somerset coast, where tall Jurassic cliffs and a wide wave-cut platform provide excellent fossil exposure. The foreshore regularly yields ammonites and occasional reptile remains, often after erosion, while the long rocky platform also features numerous rock pools, making it both a productive and scenic location to explore. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
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Somerset by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Brown’s Folly

Brown’s Folly’s old Bath Stone quarries reveal a varied Middle Jurassic seafloor, from mobile ooid sands to coral growth and shell-rich mud. Corals, brachiopods, bivalves and crinoids make this wooded Avon Wildlife Trust reserve rewarding for a careful geological walk, with fossils and quarry features best studied without disturbing the protected exposures. Jurassic, Disused Quarry, Rating: ♦♦

Kent by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Locality photograph of Dumpton Gap

Dumpton Gap

Dumpton Gap has sandy beach, flint accumulations and a chalk wave-cut platform where patient searching can reveal echinoids, shells and sponges. Finds are not especially abundant, but the local flint bands give this coast considerable geological interest. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦

Gloucestershire by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Cleeve Common

Cleeve Common’s old quarries reveal a varied Middle Jurassic limestone succession, from pale building-stone oolites to beds rich in shells. Rolling Bank and Pot Quarry are especially important for strata preserved in very few places. Enjoy the fossils, rock textures and wide views through observation and photography; Cleeve Common Trust prohibits removing stone or fossils from the common. Jurassic, Disused Quarries, Rating: ♦♦♦

Gloucestershire by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Gilberts Grave

Gilberts Grave is a wooded railway-cutting locality associated with Clypeus ploti echinoids and fossiliferous Middle Jurassic limestone. Its weathered rock faces illustrate the shelly Clypeus Grit of the Cotswolds. Access must be confirmed before a visit: closure has been reported at Chedworth Nature Reserve, and the current route and collecting terms remain unverified. Jurassic, Disused Railway Cutting, Rating: ♦♦♦♦

Sussex by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Eastbourne

The shore from Holywell towards Cow Gap exposes fossiliferous Cretaceous chalk and an important Cenomanian–Turonian boundary section. Ammonites, bivalves and brachiopods occur in the rocks, but fossils in loose blocks may have fallen from higher beds. Tides, slippery ground and unstable cliffs make careful planning essential. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

East Riding by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Danes Dyke coastal locality, cropped from the existing genuine photograph.

Danes Dyke

Danes Dyke’s flintless Chalk is known for sponges and beautifully preserved crinoid plates. The shore on either side of the wooded ravine crosses different parts of the Late Cretaceous succession, making loose beach blocks rewarding to examine when tides and conditions are suitable. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

East Riding by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Bridlington coastal locality, cropped from the existing genuine photograph.

Bridlington

Bridlington’s North Beach becomes increasingly rocky towards Sewerby, where fossil-bearing Chalk blocks occur among the shingle. Sponges, shells and echinoids are the main attractions, while glacially transported material adds a different part of the area’s geological story. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦

Norfolk by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Hunstanton

Hunstanton’s striped Cretaceous cliffs offer a clear introduction to Norfolk’s marine fossils. Brown Carstone, the thin Red Chalk and pale Ferriby Chalk form contrasting layers, with belemnites, brachiopods, bivalves and occasional ammonites preserved in their rocks. Weathered material on the beach gives collectors a chance to examine fossils without approaching the cliff face, while the harder beds reward patient observation rather than force. The sequence also records missing intervals of geological time, so its colours tell only part of the story. Plan your visit around low tide and keep well clear of unstable cliffs and recent falls. Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Norfolk by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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East Runton coast, Norfolk

East Runton

At East Runton, ancient mammal remains occur beside evidence of powerful Ice Age deformation. Shelly Early Pleistocene deposits appear on the foreshore when sand is stripped away, while enormous glacially displaced chalk rafts rise within the cliffs towards Wood Hill. Loose belemnites, echinoids, bone fragments and occasional teeth make careful beach searching worthwhile, although exposure and preservation vary greatly. This is a different fossil assemblage from the famous Freshwater Bed at West Runton. Keep a precise record of where each specimen was found and explore only while the tide leaves a safe route back to East Runton Gap. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Scotland - Skye by UK Fossils (UKGE Group)
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Weathered coastal rock blocks on the Ardnish Peninsula with distant mountains

Ardnish Peninsula

Explore Lower Jurassic fossils on the low rocky shores and tidal inlets of the Ardnish Peninsula, east of Broadford. Layers rich in ammonites and devil’s toenails alternate with less fossiliferous rocks, making this a rewarding place to observe an ancient marine succession. Plan around the tides and put responsible observation first on this scientifically important coast. Jurassic, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦