What Can I Find Here?

[brian1978]

I have always had an interest in fossils and geology. Near where I live (kilmarnock, Scotland) are carboniferous rocks, loads of old coal mines so I expect this may have been ancient forrest.

When walking the dog at the river where I live I normally break open some rocks. I find tons of shells like this.

And occasionally plant fossils which look like horse tail plants.

Recently I found what I think is a coelocanth, this has got me interested again.

I have a few questions.

What other types of fossil can I expect to find.

Will I find anything in sandstone, there is lots of that too

Can I find fossils in the soft flakey mudstone that is near the slate and sandstone. If so what to expect.

What would be here first, the forrest or the sea?

Sorry for sounding clueless.... I am :-)

[Tennessees Pride]

Sandstone & mudstone would seem to be more of a nearshore environment in my mind...i've certainly found paleobotanicals in both....but really it depends on your area geology if botanicals will be found in them. As i am unfamilar with your local geology, it would be hard to say with certainty what will be there...also, botanics are just as fragile in the fossil record as they are in life....depending on what permeates at a later date into the deposition layers, there are cases in which deposited botanics can be disolved at a later date from deposition...bone too.

I haven't yet found leaf botanics in sandstone, but have recovered lignitized tree debris...i'm sure were in the layer @ one time, but preservation of that material in sandstone must be rare...found some good bone sections in sandstone though! That mudstone (i'm guessing) is where you'll do real good for botanics....if you find em in that material type, they will be perhaps carbonized and very preserved. Good luck sir!

[Fossildude19]

Coal Measures were thought to be Carboniferous era swamp-like environments.

If I had access to your area, I would check all the different types of rocks for fossils.

You should be able to discern, fairly quickly, which types are fossiliferous.

You could, conceivably, find plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates.

Nodules from the coal measures tend to be fossiliferous as well.

Regards,

PS. - Your bivalves look like they might be Carbonicola sp.

Cheers.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Fossildude19