Devonian Soon gives way to Ordovician blocks. (2004)

At first glance these rocks do not look too promising, but you must look carefully, the smooth boulders of quartzite do not seem to be as productive as the ones with uneven surfaces so if you see a rock like this pick it up, especially if it contains fingernail shaped indentations (see photo).

The fossils are preserved as impressions on the rock and can be very difficult to spot especially in the dry. It’s best to immerse your rock in a nearby rock pool and then hold it up to the light, as the water dries with luck you will see the fine ribbed impressions of Orthis sp. and very rarely Trilobites (these may be of scientific value if found).

There are many tons of rock to search through and although you may not see much at first with practice you will learn to recognise the type of blocks that are likely to contain the fossils, just remember to leave enough time to return back to the beach as there are no access points further along towards Nare Head.

Rock with fingernail impression middle centre. (2004)

Finely ribbed shell impressions (2004)