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Bucks Geology Group

Fossils

Buckinghamshire has lots of fossils, although these may be difficult to find on occasions, due to fewer working quarries in the County and disused quarries being infilled at the end of their life.

Fossils represent the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. By examining the fossil remain we learn about what the world was once like in Buckinghamshire.

For much of the Jurassic Period (175-140mya) Buckinghamshire was covered by a warm shallow tropical sea teeming with life. These environments gave rise to our pale limestones and sandstones. On occassions the waterdepth increased and muddy deposits occurred giving rise to our Clays and Mudstones. During the late Cretaceous Period (95-65mya) sea levels rose to as much as 300 metres above present levels and Buckinghamshire was completely covered by the ocean. The distance to nearby land was such that very little mud and sediments were deposited. But the warm tropical seas teemed with life and pure white Chalk was deposited - Chalk is made from the tiny skeletons of marine algae called Coccoliths - these are micro fossils.

Explore the Bucks geology section to view photos of the more common finds.


 
BGG Contact : Mike Palmer (mpalmer@buckscountymuseum.org)

page last updated: 1st Oct 2016

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