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Castleton fossils and fossil collecting

The following is a suggested walk to take in some of the spectacular scenery and geology of this classic location.
There is plenty of free parking along the road at the base of Treak Cliff. On a quiet day it is possible to park immediately below Treak Cliff Cavern.
Near to the bus stop at the base of Treak Cliff there is an information board. Once you have viewed this take the path that leads up to the cavern. At the beginning of this path, at the base of the steps, there is a large limestone slab with many crinoid fossils weathered proud of the surface of the rock.
Ascend the steps, taking note of the information boards describing the geology of the area as you go. Once you reach Treak Cliff Cavern.... [more]

GRID REF: SK 12732 83752

crinoid stem pieces, corals and
brachiopods, bivalves, bryozoans,
plant remains
Fossil Collecting at Castleton


Castleton has long been known for its Carboniferous limestone, its caves and for the Blue John semi-precious stone mined here. Much of the area is owned by the National trust and is designated an SSSI. Unfortunately this means that fossils can only be observed and must not be collected.
Where is it

Medium

 

Rock outcrops contain limestone reef fossils such as crinoid parts, brachiopods and corals. There are also loose rocks, some of which contain fossils. Small pieces of Blue John stone are sometimes found.


Suitable for Children

 

This is a fair walk with some steep areas. The two caves encountered en-route provide excellent stop-off points however, and are guaranteed to impress all who enter.


Good Access

 

The route follows a public footpath. In some places there are steep steps and rises in the path but these should be easily tackled by anyone of moderate fitness. The rock outcrops are to be found a little distance from the path, in some cases with a fairly steep gradient in between.


Scree, Rock Outcrops

 

Fossiliferous rocks are found loose and also as outcrops above the path. Blue John is found in small pieces within the path itself and loose in areas where soil is exposed..


SSSI

 

There is a public footpath to follow. Rocks and fossils may be observed but collecting is prohibited.

 

This is generally a safe location. Some parts of the path are fairly steep and in wet conditions are liable to become muddy. Good walking boots or wellies are recommended. In some places a mobile phone signal may be lost.



Accommodation

The Fox House Inn

Hathersage Road
Sheffield S11 7
Tel: 01433 63 0374

Accommodation and restaurant. Rooms cost around £50 and are excellent. They are spacious, well maintained and comfortable.

 

If you would like to advertise on this page, please 'contact us'.
£10/Year or 'FREE' for return links from accommodation website pages.


Last updated:  2011
last visited:  2011
Written by:  Joe Shimmin, Alister Cruickshanks, Richard. M. Haw.

Other Locations similar to Castleton

Castleton is an excellent location for corals, other similar locations for Carboniferous Corals are;Parkhouse Hill, Castleton, Portishead, Weston-Super-Mare in Avon. In South West Wales, you can also find Silurian Corals from Freshwater East, Marloes Sands. Mortimer Forest, Shadwell Quarry, Upper Millichope , Llanymynech Quarry, and Wenlock Quarry, Wenlock Edge in the Shropshire District.

 

Along the South West Coast, you can also collect Devonian Corals from Torquay along Hopes Nose and Daddy Hole. In Scotland, you can also find corals at St Monans. From South Wales, Carboniferous Corals can be found at Lydstep Headland, West Angle Bay and Manorbier Bay.

For Corals from Younger period, the Coralline Crag at Ramsholt makes ideal collecting.

   



Most of the fossils at Castleton are found in the loose scree and rocks. No hammering or collecting is permitted from this, but we recommend that you take a camera to photograph the wonderful fossils and minerals.


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Within the limestone outcrops are found crinoid stem parts, brachiopods and corals. Trilobite pieces are rarely found. Small pieces of Blue John stone are also present within the soil and are revealed in areas where vegetation has been removed

Below Mam Tor the shales yield occasional plant fragments, but these are poorly preserved. Treak Cliff is largely covered in grass, with limestone outcrops occurring in only a few places. These are sometimes hard to reach due to the gradient of the hill but there are one or two outcrops alongside the path. Look at the surface of the limestone for fossils. Loose blocks can also be investigated where encountered.

If you keep your eyes on the floor as you walk along the Treak Cliff part of the path you may find a few pieces of Blue John. These can be purple, off yellow and clear in colour.


How life in the oceans would have looked at Castleton 350mya
(C)opyright - Free Software Foundation (FSF)


Geology Guide Carboniferous, 320mya

Derbyshire is divided into two general, geological regions. To the south, the “White Peak” comprises mostly Carboniferous limestones, and to the north, the “Dark Peak” is mainly shales and coarse sandstones known as “gritstone”. It is generally thought that, during Carboniferous times (330mya), the region was a shallow, tropical, marine environment roughly on or near the equator. It had some reefs and some deeper waters, and the occasional volcano or volcanic vents spewed lava onto the sea floor depositing thin bands of basalt. This environment lasted for a period of about 40 million years and formed limestone beds some 3km thick.

 

The Castleton area was then subject to uplifting that raised the limestones above sea level and subjected them to erosion. Not only did surface eroding take place, a complex series of small caverns, known as “pipes” were created by the natural process of “karst” cavern formation. The region was then re-submerged beneath the sea and was buried by shales and sandstones. These shales and sandstones formed a cap on the limestones trapping fluids within them. Then, about 270mya, as a result of major movement within the Earth’s crust, the whole area started to be pushed back up again, forming what we know today as the “Pennine Anticline”.

 

This uplifting caused the rocks to crack and opened gaps along a roughly east-west direction that were ready to be filled with minerals. Low temperature (130- 200°C) hydrothermal fluids trapped deep underground flowed in to the joints, cracks and pipes in the limestone, depositing fluorite, calcite, baryte and galena. Surface erosion and the formation of a second, large natural cavern system at the end of the last ice age series brings us to the present day....[more]

   


Bivalves are common here ....[more]

Mineral Guide
Pyrite

Blue John is a unique variety of blue-purple banded fluorite. Hydrocarbons or oils have been deposited on some of the crystal surfaces while the mineral was forming. These oil layers are partly responsible for giving the stone an alternate blue and white banding, best seen when the stone is cut in section. It is not known to occur anywhere else in the world, and is confined to an area of about 1km³ of the Carboniferous “reef” limestones at Castleton in Derbyshire....[more]
Stone Tumblers
Microscopes
Castleton Area

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.

Location guide including access information, What to see and what to collect fossils, rocks and minerals across the Castleton area of Derbyshire. 92 pages.£15.99.
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While we (UKGE/UK Fossils) try to ensure that the content of this location guide is accurate and up to date, we cannot and do not guarantee this. Nor can we be held liable for any loss or injury caused by or to a person visiting this site. Remember: this is only a location guide and the responsibility remains with the person or persons making the visit for their own personal safety and the safety of their possessions. That is, any visit to this location is of a personal nature and has not been arranged or directly suggested by UK Fossils. In addition, we recommend visitors get their own personal insurance cover. Please also remember to check tide times and rights of way (where relevant), and to behave in a responsible and safe manner at all times (for example, by keeping away from cliff faces and mud).
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