fossil collecting at Dancing Ledge, Dorset



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Dancing Ledge Fossil Collecting Guide

Fossils and Fossil Collecting in Dancing Ledge
Your Complete Geological Guide

Dancing Ledge used to be a coastal quarry, the views are stunning even if the fossils are poorly preserved. You can stand on 'Dancing Ledge' watching the waves crash into the cliff. A location worth a visit just for the views.

Dancing Ledge - Dorset
Last updated: [26/02/08]  last visited 2008
Jurassic
Written by Alister and Alison Cruickshanks
Fossil Collecting at Dancing Ledge
(View of Dancing Ledge) - 2008

Information for Fossil Hunting at Dancing Ledge

Dancing Ledge has some superb views, you can watch the sea crashing against the cliffs, but fossils are few and far between.

(Suitable if older children supervised)

Dancing Ledge is a bit of a far walk for children and they must keep away from the ledge edge and cliff edge. They must be supervised at all times.

Dancing Ledge is a remote location, it is a long walk down to the sea.

Cliff Old Quarry

Dancing Ledge is an old coastal quarry cut into the side of a cliff. It has a ledge which you can stand and watch the sea crashing into the cliffs.

ACCESS
RIGHTS
This site is part of the Jurassic World Heritage Coastline. Please follow the
Fossil Code of Conduct.

Please follow our national fossil collecting code

A UK Fossils & Discovering Fossils initiative (c) 2006

Other Locations similar to Dancing Ledge

Other locations with Portland Stone can be found on the Isle of Portland.



! SAFETY NOTES FOR FOSSIL HUNTING AT KIMMERIDGE BAY!

Dancing Ledge is an old quarry, the actual shore is not accessible as the sea always hits the ledge. Please keep away from the edge and away from the quarry cliff faces. In particular there is an area that is overhanging that should also be avoided.

Small Oyster from Dancing Ledge
Small Oyster from Dancing Ledge

Stone Tumblers (Lapidary)


Stone Tumblers are used for tumbling and polishing rough rock, stones and pebbles including those found on the beach and glass.

Whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed, you could collect rocks, stones and glass from the beach and tumble then at home.

These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. The tumblers can be used with a variety of grits, most commonly Silicon Carbide Grit and Cerium Oxide. We have a wide range of rough rocks for sale too.

Microfossils are much easier to collect because they are so small that the vast majority of collections only concentrate on large finds. These small finds can simply be found by taking small samples of sands, crags, clays and soft rocks and examining them under a microscope.

We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, both for the study of fossils, but also educational and professional for use in the laboratory. We have Stereo microscopes, Compound Microscopes, Polarising Microscopes and Monocular Microscopes.


We have thousands of Test Sieves for Particle Analysis.

Endecotts Sieves: For accurate dependable results you can't buy a better test sieve than Endecotts. At every stage of manufacture each test sieve is individually inspected.

High Precision Tecan manufactures precision apertures as small as 3 microns for a wide array of applications such as filtering, sieving and nozzles. Its high-performance, ASTM/ISO compliant test sieves satisfy the most demanding fine particle grading requirements.

Metal Detectors


We have a wide range of metal detectors and motion detectors.

Our metal detectors are of a very high quality and are british made by the Viking Company.

Why not take a metal detector when your fossil hunting! you never know what you may find.


We sell a wide range of compasses to both explorers, students to boat owners.

Some field compasses have build in clinometers so you can calculate the height of cliffs.

Our compasses are high quality. They are an essential part of the explorers kit.


All of our fossils are genuine and have been checked carefully, we only buy from reputable sources.

We have a wide range of fossils from low cost budget fossils to expensive stunning display pieces.

Our fossils are of a very high standard and they come from all over the world.

 



Images, Graphics & Content - (C)opyright 1998-2005 Alister Cruickshanks.
UK Fossils Management - Alister Cruickshanks & Roy Bullard
UK Fossils Curator - Ian Cruickshanks
UK Fossils is a division of CWA Design and run in conjunction with UKGE. Whilst we try to ensure that all content is accurate and up to date we cannot guarantee this. UK Fossils takes no responsibility in the accuracy of this content, nor takes any liabilities for any trips, events or exchanges between visitors using either the discussion board or the UK Fossils planner. Any posted trips and events by UK Fossils are personal and not arranged by UK Fossils, therefore visitors should seek their own personal insurance cover. Please remember to always check the tide times.
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