Site Details

Location

Ballycastle

Grid reference

55.2108035, -6.1958646

Fossil Name

Brachiopods, Lepidodendron, Stigmaria

Fossil Type

Various marine animals (shells and other invertebrate animals – without backbones)

Fossil Age

Carboniferous

Rock Type

Sandstone and Limestone

Access Info

WARNING! This is a rocky coastal location with uneven terrain and unprotected steep drops. Take care as rocks can become slippery when wet. Full access to the rocks containing the fossils at this location is only possible at low tide. Carefully access the rocks exposed along the coast, from the end of Carrickmore Road.

Fossil Info

Plants fossils are found in the yellow/buff sandstones exposed along this section of coast, with some of the best examples in loose boulders and cobbles. Lepidodendron is the bark of a fossil tree. It has a distinctive pattern formed by lots of diamond-shaped leaf scars. Stigmaria are the roots of Lepidodendron. They are often preserved "in the round" in three-dimensions and have a distinctive pattern of regularly spaced dimples on the surface, these are also seen in the sandstone. There are low lying exposures of dark grey limestone on the coast here that contain abundant white brachiopod fossils in very dense layers.