Lady Burn fossils and fossil collecting |
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 PERMISSION REQUIRED. Reckless damage to SSSI could result in prosecution under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.
From the A77, just North of Girvan, immediately after the last roundabout, Turn right down the B741 towards Dailly. At Craighead, take the minor road on your left to Drummuck. Follow until you get to the giveway at Drummuck, turn left and continue until Crossroads. At Crossroads, turn right.
Follow road, you will pass the large North Threave Farm. At the second smaller farm, "East Threave", park in the space just outside their drive. Leave space for farm vehicles and only leave one car. CONT...
GRID REF: 55.29557°N, 4.76136°W
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Trilobites, Starfish, Brachiopods, Bivalves, Orthcones, Gastropods, Gonatites, Crinoids, Bryozoans, Corals, Cephalopods. |
PDF - PRINT FRIENDLY GUIDE
Lady Burn is a very famous site in Scotland, and has highly fossiliferous rocks including three famous 'starfish beds', and some superb, complete trilobites to be found. There are so many different fossils to be discovered here. It is well documented and you are sure to find something! |
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Permission Required
This site is a strictly controlled SSSI, you cannot just turn up to the site and you will need a permit. The SNH will prosecute ALL those found ignoring this ruling to the full measure of the law. Please contact the SNH fore information. |
Cuttings, Pits, Stream
Most of the fossils are found in the small pits and cuttings at the top of the hill on the opposite side of the burn, so when you cross over, climb the hill and you should see these. Of course, the first fossils recorded from this location where from the burn itself, so this is worth a look, although, most of your time should be spend at the top of the hill in the pits! |
Strictly SSSI
Permission required
Whilst access to the burn is via the fields through the double gate belong to North Threave Farm, the Burn itself, passes on to Farden Farm property, owned by the Queen's Lord Leutenent of Ayrshire. Entering this land is trespassing.
Therefore it is VITAL that you obtian Specific permission to visit the location by written permit and the collection of fossils, even without using a hammer or other tools, is strictly prohibited under Scottish Law.
The SNH will prosecute ALL those found ignoring this ruling to the full measure of the law. |
If you collect fossils in Scotland, the advice on best practice in the collection and storage of fossil specimens, set out in the Scottish Fossil Code, applies to you. The Code may be viewed and downloaded from www.snh.org.uk/fossilcode.
 
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Please be aware that you will need to walk through a field of cows. Whilst they are normally harmless, be cautious and try to keep away from them. The best advice is to ignore them, if they feel you are looking at them, they may feel threatened. Take care in the burn, it can be slippery and you can easily trip or fall. |
| Last updated: |
2008 |
| last visited: |
2008 |
| Written by: |
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks |
For trilobites further locations are Glenmard Wood, Ardwell Bay and Aldons, or in Shropshire you can try Betton Dingle, Mortimer Forest, Hillend, Wenlock Quarry, Shadwell Quarry, Upper Millichope, Hope, and The Onny Trail. In South West Wales, you can also find Silurian Trilobites from Marloes Sands and Abereiddy
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The first fossils found at Lady Burn, came from the burn itself. Although fossils can still be collected this way, by far the best fossils are found at the top of the hill on the opposite side of the burn. Here, past excavations for scientific study as well as small pits and trenches made by collectors over the years, yields most of the fossils.
The rocks are constantly being weathered and crumble, so there is plenty of material to search through loose on the floor. There are a number of pits and trenches, but the best one is the largest with the good face showing a good section of the Farden Formation.
Unlike most formations, whereby fossils are normally found in horizons, at Lady Burn, you will find 'pockets' of fossils. So often, you will see the same fossil type in the same rock, but other rocks at that horizon may not contain any fossils. For example, when UK Fossils visited this site, a section had slipped down, and in one of the rocks, 4 complete trilobites were found, but no others in the rest of this section.
The largest pit at Ladyburn
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Ordovician, 445mya |
The Ashgill, Lady Burn Formation and Farden Member are the most famous and most high fossiliferous in the Girvan area.
The Lady Burn Formation is pale grey, poorly bedded with nodular siltstones and mudstones. It is very shelly.
Below this, the Farden Member is equally famous, being a bed of greyish-green well-bedded silty mudstones with thinly bedded greenish-black fine- to medium-grained sandstones in the upper part. This member includes three famous starfish beds at the top of the sequence.
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Related Books |
Microscopes |
Test Sieves for Microfossils |
The best guide available for this area is the small booklet on Girvan published by the Geological Survey and available from our online store. It is a sheet explanation and covers the geological formations around Girvan in great detail, along with the fossils found and further locations not featured on this website.
Click here for this book.
The standard geological map of Girvan is also an excellent buy showing you exactly where the best beds are, and is related to from the sheet explanation.
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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.
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Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. Microfossils can be found in many locations, and all you need is a small amount of sample such as clays, sands and shales, or if you have acid, limestone, oolite or chalk.
Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are certificated to EU Standards. |
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