Ben Suardal, Skye, fossils and fossil collecting |
 Parking can be found in a layby below the limestone outcrop. To make sure you are in the right place, look at the mountains opposite the outcrop and if you are roughly in line with the valley in between them you have found the spot.
From the layby, climb upwards to the exposed rock. Fossils can be found on the weathering surfaces of the boulders.
Cars can be parked at the base of the hill and it is a short walk up to the limestone outcrop. To find fossils the limestone boulders must be scaled however, so this location is suited to younger and fitter fossil hunters only.
GRID REF: 57.21526°N, 5.92594°W
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Low
It takes a good while to find a fossil here. The surfaces of limestone boulders must be searched carefully. If you are patient enough, sooner or later you will find something. |
Older Children
There is quite a lot of climbing over limestone boulders involved in looking for fossils at this location. Older children may be able to handle this but younger children should not attempt it. |
Poor Access
Cars can be parked at the base of the hill and it is a short walk up to the limestone outcrop. To find fossils the limestone boulders must be scaled however, so this location is suited to younger and fitter fossil hunters only. |
Rock Outcrop
A fossiliferous dolomitic limestone outcrop is exposed at the base of the hill. As this slowly weathers, cherty fossils are exposed. |
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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The obvious dangers of climbing over rocks are present at this location. Mobile phone signals may be lost here so make sure you tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return. |
| Last updated: |
2011 |
| last visited: |
2007 |
| Written by: |
Joe Shimmin |
Other Locations similar to Ben Suardal
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Cambrian fossil hunting is not something that many collectors are interested in, mainly because in the UK, fossils tend to be few and far between and the preservation is poor. However, it is fantastic to collect fossils from 500 million years ago, and this age is what interests those who do collect from this period. Another location is Whitesands Bay in Wales.
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The obvious dangers of climbing over rocks are present at this location. Mobile phone signals may be lost here so make sure you tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return.
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Look on the surfaces of the limestone boulders. These have many cherty masses weathering out of them. The fossils are preserved in this material and are raised slightly above the surrounding limestone. The South Western side of the outcrop seems to have the most fossils present.
The most common and easily recognizable fossils to be found here are gastropods. Other molluscs and sponges are also present but are seldom encountered. When found, gastropods are usually incomplete and are seen as coils slightly raised from the rock surface.
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Cambrian, 480mya |
The rocks at Ben Suardal are Cambrian age, and are of the Durness Limestone. This was formed 480 million years ago during the Cambrian era. This rock has transformed landscapes in the area, as rain water, slowly dissolves the rock over thousands of years, creating caves. ...[more]
Durness Limestone
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Stone Tumblers |
Microscopes |
Fossil Tools |
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.
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We are your market leader for Fossil Supplies and Fossil Equipment. Suppling Retail, Education and Trade in the UK, Europe and beyond. UKGE Online Store sells equipment worldwide.
We sell a wide range of geological hammers and geological picks as well as fossil tools, starter packs and geological chisels. UKGE is your geological superstore, selling a wide range of field equipment, rocks, minerals, fossils, geological and even microscopy! |
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