Ecclesbourne River fossils and fossil collecting
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Not for Children
This location is not suitable for children, it is far too hard to access and as it is hard to see where you are walking towards, can be dangerous beside a river. |
Poor Access
Whilst the half a mile walk from a safe parking area is fine for most people. The biggest issue here is getting to the section after entering the river. During times when the water level is lower, you can easily get to the bank section, but the vegetation can up to 2m tall. These reeds make it hard going, and difficult to see where you are going. You then have to cross the river (easy in summer, but harder during winter). |
River Section
Fossils are found in shale’s exposed in a scar along the river Ecclesbourne. It is a good tall section, which is constantly being eroded. |
No Restrictions
There are no restrictions at this location, but please follow our UK Fossils Code. |
There are two important safety considerations. The first is the railway line. This is actively used and runs near to the river. Stay away from the railway line. The second important thing to note is that the tall vegetation makes it very hard to see where you are going. Although the river is not a very fast flowing during summer, after prolonged rains it can be very deep and this can be dangerous to access. |
| Last updated: |
2011 |
| last visited: |
2011 |
| Written by: |
Alister Cruickshanks |
 
For trilobites further locations are Glenmard Wood, Ardwell Bay and Aldons, or in Shropshire you can try Betton Dingle, Mortimer Forest, Hillend, Wenlock Quarry, Shadwell Quarry, Upper Millichope, Hope, and The Onny Trail. In South West Wales, you can also find Silurian Trilobites from Marloes Sands and Abereiddy
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This location can be a challenge to access through the tall vegetation, but once you get to the scar, a good 7m section can be seen. You will need wellington boots, and we recommend in collecting in summer when the water levels are lower.
The shale’s are easy to break away and are rich in fossils. The first metre of shale’s are the most fossiliferious, and contain brachiopods, bivalves, gastropods, trilobites, crinoids. These can sometimes be poorly preserved, or fragile, but the odd specimen comes out perfect. You will need to wrap these fossils well. It is the dampness of the river which makes them so fragile, so try to search in less, wet shale. It is best to try and remove a large shale slab, then split using a chisel pick.
Above the first metre, there is a marine band which is around a metre and a half thick. This bed is full of two species of gonatites, Cravenoceratoides nititoides and Nuculoceras stellarum.
Edale Shale (Cherty bed)
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Carboniferous, 320mya |
The fossiliferious scar is some 7m high, consisting of the three main sections. At the very top of the scar, a very thin marine band with crushed ammonites can be found. This is not accessible. Below this, a thick bed of volcanic ash, also not accessible. The final two beds are as follows;
Edale Shale (Marine Band), 1.2m to 2.7m above the base of the river bed. This section contains Gonatites of Cravenoceratoides nititoides and Nuculoceras stellarum.
Edale Shale (Cherty bed), 0 to 1.2m above the base of the river bed. This is the most fossiliferious section which contains brachiopods, bivalves, gastropods, trilobites, crinoids and orthoceras.
The Edale Shales are dark grey and grey mudstones with subordinate bands of limestone, ironstone, siliceous sandstone and siltstone, and calcareous siltstone. These are Namurian in age. ...[more]
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Metal Polishing |
Meteorites |
East Midlands Guide |
Metal Barrelling Machines are used for de burring, polishing, cleaning or removing surface scratches from metal and jewellery.
These are ideal for cleaning or polishing a variety of metals including brass, silver, steel and gold. They can be used for silver clay and other hobbies.
The machines have a barrel with special fins inside, which helps turn the metal round, to polish or debur. We sell a variety of different sized machines from hobby to commercial. |
Meteorites can be found all over the world. Often, large pieces are broken down either naturally or by hand, or sliced and sold as small fragments, each fall is well documented. Meteorites are very collectable, especially ones of Mars or Moon rocks.
We sell Meteorites, which are in stock and mostly come in a display boxs. Our meteorites are from all over the world and include Mars and Moon Meteorites, and rocks from outer space. For more information, please see our meteorite page.
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 Locations of Geologicl interest and for collecting rocks, minerals and fossils in the East Midlands Area. Includes the Geological History of the area. Areas covered are Charnwood Forest, The Peak District & The Vale of Belvoir. 130 pages. £15.95.
Buy from UKGE |
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Follow the B5023 from Duffield to Cowers Lane. Just north of Windley, you will cross over a railway and river bridge. 
