Fossils through the microscope

prepared sediment samples:

localities:

• SF - South Ferriby Quarry, Lincolnshire.
• UL - Ulceby Quarry, Lincolnshire.
• IW - Isle of Wight.
• NOR - East Anglia.
• BARA - Barracane Bay, North Devon.
• PURB - Near Swanage, Dorset.
• rest - East Yorkshire.

samples (and ages) :-

• BARA - Barracane Bay (Recent)
• DDBS - modern beach sand, Dane's Dyke
• HBS - modern beach sand, Hornsea
• NORWRFB - West Runton Freshwater Bed, Norfolk
• NORWEYDRAG - Weybourne Crag, Norfolk
• NOR37 - Chillesford Crag (Pleistocene).
• NOR38 - Red Crag (Pleistocene).
• NOR34 & NOR34E - Coraline Crag (L-M Pliocene)
• IW61 & IW2000 - Bracklesham Group (Eocene)
• NORSHER - chalk raft Sherringham. (U Cret.)
• NORWEYCH - chalk from Weybourne, Norfolk (U.Cret)
• S51A - Flamborogh Sponge Beds (L Campanian)
• M341 - Daneswood Upper Marl (L Campanian)
• M315 - Upper Danes Dyke Marl (L Campanian)
• ULULM - Ulceby Marl (U Turonian)
• SFTUR - lower Middle Chalk (L Turonian)
• SFKMARL - Khaki Marl, Black Band Member (Cenomanian/Turonian boundary)
• SF CEN - Lower Chalk (Cenomanian)
• SF MID CEN - Lower Chalk (Cenomanian)
• SFRC & SF53 - Red Chalk (Albian)
• SPRC - Red Chalk (Albian)
• PUBBECK - "Purbeck Marble" (Upper Jurassic)

All samples contain foraminifera and perhaps some ostracods.

The modern beach sands contain modern forams and derived forams. The Bracklesham Group samples contain the large foram Nummulites, small gastropods and bivalves. The Nummulites can be split open to reveal the chambers inside if you use a sharp knife, but be careful not to cut your fingers!. The Ulceby Marl contains the crinoids Bourgeticrinus and Isocrinus. The Red Chalk samples contain lots of small planktonic foraminifera (if processed at 63um, but these tend to be lost at 120um) , plus some small Nehibolites belemnites and Isocrinus. The Purbeck samples contains 90% broken Ostracods.