Fossils at Ferriters Cove 1

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Fossil brachiopod Leptaena in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove

The Silurian rocks at Ferriters Cove are well known for their fossils. I found a few easily recognisable ones as I walked round the cove, such as the brachiopod Leptaena and Favosites coral. The fossils can be seen on the surface of the exposed bedrock and also in the numerous broken pieces of rock that lie on the beach.

Some features I am not sure whether they are fossils or not – they look as if they might be trace fossils – evidence of animal activity in the original sediments rather than the remains of the animal itself. These included some some fairly obvious branching linear features that could conceivably be evidence for crab burrows; each “burrow” is a couple of centimetres wide. The other features are more obscure and much smaller and occur as a pair of parallel curving lines rather like miniature army tank tracks. I thought they might be trace fossils of trilobite tracks. You’ll need to click on the images to view the features close-up and make up your own mind.

Fossil brachiopod Leptaena in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove

Fossil brachiopod Leptaena in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove

Fossil brachiopod Leptaena in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove

Fossil coral in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove

Fossil coral in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove

Could this be a trace fossil of animal burrows in the Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove?

Could this be a trace fossil of animal burrows in the Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove?

Could this be a trace fossil of animal burrows in the Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove?

Could these be trilobite tracks in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove?

Could these be trilobite tracks in Silurian rock at Ferriters Cove?

4 Replies to “Fossils at Ferriters Cove 1”

  1. Some fossils are easy to recognise and identify, especially if there are good guide books to the area. However, the right literature is not always readily available and so problems arise when you come across something that you have not seen before, or if the fossil is only part of something, or orientated in an odd way, or is an internal cast ………

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