South Ferriby fossils and fossil collecting |
Medium
It may take time, but after splitting a few rocks and searching the scree, you should be able to find some fossils here. Molluscs are the most common.
|
Suitable for children
Providing children are supervised, they can visit this site. Keep away from the water’s edge at all times.
|
Good Access
Park outside the old quarry road, just before the signs saying no vehicles beyond this point and walk down the road. From here it is a quick walk to the shore beside the old quarry spoil heap.
|
Quarry Waste Bank
This location is a series of cliffs along the river banks, the cliffs cut into the screen slopes at the back of the disused quarries. The quarries are strictly prohibited, but the foreshore along the river Humber is publically accessible. |
Access for
foreshore only
There are no restrictions for collecting and visiting South Ferriby Cliffs, you MUST NOT visit the disused quarries themselves as these are strictly prohibited. |
The foreshore can be steep and slippery, so care must be taken when walking to the location. The trackway is used by large vehicles, so please keep away from any vehicles using this road, and park outside the gate. |
South Ferriby
Tide Times
UK Tidal data is owned by Crown Copyright, and therefore sadly we are not allowed to display tide times without paying expensive annual contracts. However we sell them via our store, including FREE POSTAGE
Click here to buy a tide table |
| Last updated: |
2010 |
| last visited: |
2010 |
| Written by: |
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks |
|
A hammer is essential for splitting boulders. Suitable footwear should also be worn. Fossils are very fragile here and should be placed carefully into containers. |
|
  |
|
|
Once a classic site for Kimmeridge Clay (Upper Jurassic) fossils, the old quarries are now not publically accessible. In recent years however, erosion along the banks of the river Humber is cutting into the back of the quarry. The foreshore is full of chalk boulders and pebbles, with very occasional red chalk and Jurassic rocks. Nearly all the rocks are from the Lower Ferriby Formation and can contain Holaster echinoids, ammonites and bivalves.
If you are really lucky, rocks from the red Chalk (Albian) contains fossils such as bivalves, brachiopods and belemnites. with some Kimmeridge Clay (Upper Jurassic) yielding brachiopods and superb ammonites.
Since the Jurassic was at the very bottom of the old quarries, these rocks are rarely seen along the banks, although you should find some red chalk lying around. Split the boulders lying around the foreshore and search the scree cliffs for loose fossils.
Quarry scree waste cliffs.
|
  |
Cretaceous, Jurassic |
The old quarries at South Ferriby used to be extremely interesting. Splitting into Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous. The cretaceous rocks included the Turonian, Black Band Member, Cenomanian, Albian Red Chalk and the Aptian, whilst the Jurassic cuts into the Kimmeridge Clay. The screen slopes along the river are of various zones by waste from the old quarries. Any of the above zones can be found along the foreshore and in the scree cliffs.
|
|
Stone Tumblers |
Microscopes |
Test Sieves for Microfossils |
If you are interested in fossil collecting, then you may also be interested in a stone tumbler (Lapidary). You can polish stones and rocks from the beach which will look fantastic polished using a stone tumbler.
You can polish rough rock and beach glass whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed. These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. They can even be used for amber and fossils. |
At most locations, you can find microfossils. You only need a small sample of the sand. You then need to wash it in water and sieve using a test sieve. Once the sand is processed, you can then view the contents using a microscope.
We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereomicroscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.
|
Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. Microfossils can be found in many locations, and all you need is a small amount of sample such as clays, sands and shales, or if you have acid, limestone, oolite or chalk.
Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are certificated to EU Standards. |
|
|
From the A15, head towards South Ferriby along the A1077. As soon as you come to the town, where the road descends the hill and veers southwards, take the road on the right. 
