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blowin · Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:39 am Post subject: fossilised plant i/d ?

Finally found something of interest . It was on a rocky shoreline . Looks like the imprint of either a conifer or a fern . Can anyone give a positive i/d and/or name the type of rock it is in ? Many thanks .

blowin · Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:48 am Post subject:

According to a local geologist it is a conifer twig from a forest which existed North of Dromore West but is now under the sea . The particularly interesting thing about it is that the fossil follows the profile of the rock . this suggests that the branch fell onto a hard boulder and then was covered in a deposit of softer rock , like shale , which was subsequently eroded by the sea .
I found it on the shoreline .
Has anyone else come across any interesting fossils over here ?

quarryman · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 417 Location: Sligo

If you go to the village of Easkey and go down to the castle, turn right along the shore for about 300mtrs and go down off the road to the foreshore. In the rock base of the beach you will see hundreds of sockets/holes. These are the fossilised remains of where the tree stumps were. We have some rocks with what looks 12inch long centipedes in them, we later found out they are tree roots from the same forest.

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

Nice find Blowin Laughing

. I am told that the cliffs around "Hook Head" is a good place to find such gems. I hope to spend some time there this summer. All that I have found so far is a fossilised Sea urchin shell. Good luck.
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blowin · Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:58 am Post subject:

Hi Wayland , how's it going ?
Where is Hook Head ?
There area few urchin shells to be foundin the rocks around here but they tend to be in very localised areas .
Hardly any mollusk shells either . I am making an educated guess that the glaciers skimmed off most of the rock from that era , leaving just the stuff which contains the more primitive coral and those worm-like things which resemble rams' horns .
If that is correct then there should be some places where the ammonites and trillobites either escaped the erosion or were deposited by it . Those are the ones which really fascinate me but I have seen no sign of them .
Following on from Quarryman's comment I intend to spend a bit more time searching the coast just north of here . I would add a hard-learned tip that it is very difficult to spot the fossilised pine needles when the rock is wet . Best time is at extreme low water , after the surface of the rocks has had time to dry off . Trouble is that you have to race the tide to carry your prize back to dry land !

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1163 Location: Campile. Wexford

"Hook Head" is a peninsula to the south of Waterford harbor Co Wexford. I think that you are right with the glacial erosion comments. Shear scarps with wind and tide worn cliffs seem to be more a fruitful location me thinks. A mate had a small bolder got from the south coast of the UK that has a great ammonite cut in cross section in it. An object of rear beauty.

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