fossil collecting at Bowleaze Cove, Dorset



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Bowleaze Cove Fossil Collecting Guide

Fossils and Fossil Collecting in Bowleaze Cove
Your Complete Geological Guide

The OxfordClay at Bowleaze Cove yields ammonites and is rich in reptile remains. The Giant fossil Oyster shells are also plentiful. This location is best during scouring tides, though during these times you will need wellington boots.


Bowleaze Cove - Dorset
Last updated: [21/02/08]  last visited 2000
Jurassic
Written by Alister and Alison Cruickshanks
Bowleaze Cove
(Bowleaze Cove, Dorset) - 2000

Information for Fossil Hunting at Bowleaze Cove

Fossils at Bowleaze Cove can often be found washed out on the foreshore, however this is during scouring times. Other times you can collect from the harder beds.

(Suitable for older children)

Bowleaze Cove is very rocky and therefore it is not suitable for younger children.

Bowleaze Cove is a fairly easy location to access, although it can be hard going over the rocky foreshore.

Cliff and foreshore

Most fossils are found in the large boulders along the foreshore, but fossils can also be found washed out of the clay on the foreshore.

ACCESS
RIGHTS
This site is part of the Jurassic World Heritage Coastline. Please follow the
Fossil Code of Conduct.

Please follow our national fossil collecting code

A UK Fossils & Discovering Fossils initiative (c) 2006

Other Locations similar to Bowleaze Cove

Other locations with Kimmeridge Clay are, Chapmans Pool, Kimmeridge Bay, Lothbeg, Portgower, Helmsdale, Balintore and Eathie, in Scotland, or Wyke Regis, Bowleaze Cove and Ringstead in Dorset.



! SAFETY NOTES FOR FOSSIL HUNTING AT BOWLEAZE COVE!

Common sense when collecting at all locations should be taken and knowledge of tide times should always be noted. Care should be especially taken along the coast from Weymouth to Ringstead of tide times as often the sea will cut you off. Redcliff Point is the easiest to get cut off, the sea always hits this point. There are a large number of boulders placed in a difficult position at Redcliff Point, the sea does not retreat very far, even at extreme low tide, care must be taken not to sprain or injury ones self. The rocks are slippery with seaweed. The high cliffs east of Redcliff Point are particularly dangerous due to regular cliff falls and falling rocks.

(Plesiosaurus? Vertebrae) - 2002
(Fossil Plesiosaurus? Vertebrae) - 2002


Stone Tumblers (Lapidary)


Stone Tumblers are used for tumbling and polishing rough rock, stones and pebbles including those found on the beach and glass.

Whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed, you could collect rocks, stones and glass from the beach and tumble then at home.

These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. The tumblers can be used with a variety of grits, most commonly Silicon Carbide Grit and Cerium Oxide. We have a wide range of rough rocks for sale too.

Microfossils are much easier to collect because they are so small that the vast majority of collections only concentrate on large finds. These small finds can simply be found by taking small samples of sands, crags, clays and soft rocks and examining them under a microscope.

We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, both for the study of fossils, but also educational and professional for use in the laboratory. We have Stereo microscopes, Compound Microscopes, Polarising Microscopes and Monocular Microscopes.


We have thousands of Test Sieves for Particle Analysis.

Endecotts Sieves: For accurate dependable results you can't buy a better test sieve than Endecotts. At every stage of manufacture each test sieve is individually inspected.

High Precision Tecan manufactures precision apertures as small as 3 microns for a wide array of applications such as filtering, sieving and nozzles. Its high-performance, ASTM/ISO compliant test sieves satisfy the most demanding fine particle grading requirements.

Metal Detectors


We have a wide range of metal detectors and motion detectors.

Our metal detectors are of a very high quality and are british made by the Viking Company.

Why not take a metal detector when your fossil hunting! you never know what you may find.


We sell a wide range of compasses to both explorers, students to boat owners.

Some field compasses have build in clinometers so you can calculate the height of cliffs.

Our compasses are high quality. They are an essential part of the explorers kit.


All of our fossils are genuine and have been checked carefully, we only buy from reputable sources.

We have a wide range of fossils from low cost budget fossils to expensive stunning display pieces.

Our fossils are of a very high standard and they come from all over the world.

 



Images, Graphics & Content - (C)opyright 1998-2005 Alister Cruickshanks.
UK Fossils Management - Alister Cruickshanks & Roy Bullard
UK Fossils Curator - Ian Cruickshanks
UK Fossils is a division of CWA Design and run in conjunction with UKGE. Whilst we try to ensure that all content is accurate and up to date we cannot guarantee this. UK Fossils takes no responsibility in the accuracy of this content, nor takes any liabilities for any trips, events or exchanges between visitors using either the discussion board or the UK Fossils planner. Any posted trips and events by UK Fossils are personal and not arranged by UK Fossils, therefore visitors should seek their own personal insurance cover. Please remember to always check the tide times.
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