Parton towards Whitehaven Fossils

We went down to Parton this afternoon, in order to evade the heavy showers - and did so successfully! Best of all, Tom found a variety of wonderful late Carboniferous fossils including fish, plants and shells. The fossils of Parton are of late Carboniferous age and formed when coal forming swamps covered the UK. They are similar to the fossils of Pow Gill- details of which can be found here- Rhizodopsis Teeth & Flora & Fauna.

The most common fossils found were freshwater mussels, that are found in beds in large cobbles. They were very hard and did not split, but could be appreciated from their cross-sections.  Also many plant fossils were found such as the common Calamites- a relative of the modern day horsetails.

Left: Calamites, Right: Freshwater Mussel beds.

One of the best finds for us was a Sigillaria fossil, which is new to us. A relative of Lepidodendron, which is also found at Parton Bay, this plant fossil could be found in the shale on beach pebbles like most of the other fossils.

Sigillaria fossils - around A3 in size, this large fossil clearly showed both the leaf scars and the protrusions to the left of the scarred stem.

Freshwater mussels were not just found as hard nodules, but in the shale their imprints are clearly visible and give a rough 'bumpy' texture to the outside of the cobble or pebble, making them instantly recognizable. 

Freshwater Mussel fossils. 

Alongside these mussel fossils were fish remains, giving us clues about the ecology of the late Carboniferous, of which these fossils belong. 

Fish scales (as yet unidentified, but similar to Rhizodont scales) were found on top of the mussels in one specimen.

The specimen containing both mussels and numerous fish scales. 

As well as scales, fragments of skull and fish remains can be found such as the specimens below:

A variety of scales and plates including possible fin like protrusions (bottom). 

A fish tooth (and trace). As yet unidentified, this likely fish tooth is considered a micro-fossil due to its small size. 

The fossils of Parton (and towards Whitehaven) are varied and beautiful. A little searching can yield some wonderful results. A hammer and chisel would be advised as much of the shale must first be split to reveal the stunning specimens inside. 

NB: As you may gather, Tom wrote this instead of me as he clearly has a higher level of expertise!