Site Details

Location

Rush

Grid reference

53.519033, -6.077311

Fossil Name

Brachiopods, Crinoids and Trace Fossils

Fossil Type

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

Fossil Age

Carboniferous

Rock Type

Limestone

Access Info

WARNING! This is a rocky coastal location with uneven terrain. 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. Explore the in the thinly bedded limestones on the headland to the south of the Martello Tower.  

Fossil Info

Grey limestone beds in between darker limestone layers - the lighter layers contain crinoids and brachiopods. There are also trace fossils here too, which are easiest to see at the junction between the dark mud beds and paler limestone or sandstone beds. The trace fossils are mostly vertical burrows, less than 1 cm thick, where you can see the paler sediment from the upper layer being “piped” down into the darker lime mud underneath.