Ok, before you call the authorities - take a look to your feet - you'll see them too!Â
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Fossils!
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They are all over the pier - but I want to focus on a few particular ones.Â
Climb the stone steps carefully and look at approximately the third stone along, you will see an interesting fossil.Â
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What is a fossil?
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Fossils are the preserved remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sediments, such as sand and mud, under ancient seas, lakes and rivers. Fossils also include any preserved trace of life that is typically more than 10,000 years old.
Soft parts decay soon after death, but the hard parts, such as bones, shells and teeth can be replaced by minerals that harden into rock.
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Typical fossils, such as shells and bones, are called 'Body' fossils because they represent the actual remains of the animal.
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'Trace' fossils include burrows, footprints and bite marks. Which can tell us how the creature moved and lived.Â
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'Mould and Cast' fossils. In cases where the original shell or bone is dissolved away, it may leave behind a space in the shape of the original material called a mould. At some point in the future, sediments may fill the space to form a matching cast.
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The Pier here was made from Limestone - Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate. Like most other sedimentary rocks, limestone is usually composed of grains. The grains in limestone are mostly skeletal fragments of marine organisms. Often Carboniferous limestone contains large numbers of fossils. Some common fossil organisms found in Carboniferous limestone are brachiopods, crinoids and corals.
Brachiopods
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Brachiopods are small shellfish, they have a hinged shell which opens and closes to feed or for protection. There are  few brachiopod still surviving, but they used to be common.
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Crinoids
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Crinoids are related to starfish. They are passive feeders, filtering plankton and other particles from sea water that flows past them with their feather like arms.Â
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Corals
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Corals are formed by multiple soft polyp like organisms. They may look like a plant but coral is in fact an animal, they secrete a rocky chalk like substance around themselves for protection.Â
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1. At the given co-ordinates, look at the fossils. Using the information above tell me are they, Brachiopods, Crinoids or Corals?
2. What type of fossil are they? Body, Trace or Mould.
3. Approximately how old are the rocks which these fossils are formed?
4. There is an impressive fossil at GZ (on top of the wall - ascend the stone steps carefully) approximately what size is it? Which of the examples do you think it is?
5. Optional - This is a very photogenic area, please take a picture of yourself or GPSr - no spoilers please.Â