A Guide to Fossil Collecting in England and Wales

This is a information to the gathering, preservation and show of fossils from greater than 50 places within the UK, with a ahead by ichthyosaur skilled, and someday Deposits contributor and TV star, Dean Lomax. It is unashamedly based mostly on the UK fossils format (see https://ukfossils.co.uk/), however clearly, quite than being an internet useful resource, it’s a pocket sized ebook to be taken and skim on website. As far as I am involved, it’s all the time nicer to have a e-book in your hand at a website, quite than a crumpled piece of paper with a printout from the Internet. And because of this, I welcome this addition to the protection of palaeontology within the UK.

It accommodates chapters on what fossils are, how and the place to search for them, what instruments to make use of and convey, getting ready and preserving fossils, figuring out, labelling, storing and displaying them, and protected and accountable amassing. The places are described in three sections, grouped by geological period (Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic) in ascending age. There can also be a piece on museums and galleries, and a bibliography of each related books and web sites.

It is clearly aimed on the newbie when it comes to the language used and the format, however the full color, top quality footage (that we now have come to anticipate of information books today) of each the websites and the fossils that could be discovered make it a pleasing guide to learn and personal. For every location, there’s info on the geology and the fossils that may be discovered (and the place to seek out them), the security points, suitability for youngsters, and tips on how to get there. It additionally suggests what instruments are applicable to take to the precise location and whether or not there are restrictions (for instance, as a result of the location is a Site of Special Scientific Interest of SSSI) and what these imply in sensible phrases.

The authors, Steve Snowball and Craig Chapman, are novice collectors, who’re concerned within the fossil membership UKAFH, which is marketed on this journal. Steve is deputy head of UKAFH and Craig is a founder member. Steve can also be an Ambassador for the Jurassic Coast Trust.

A Guide to Fossil Collecting in England and Wales by Steve Snowball and Craig Chapman, Siri Scientific Press, Manchester (2017). 288 pp., softback, ISBN: 978-zero-9929979-N-B

Filed underneath: books Tagged: Fossil Collecting, fossils, Locations, UK Fossils
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