Plant fossils
Leaf, frond and stem impressions, mostly in Carboniferous shales.
Mostly Carboniferous, with Jurassic and Cretaceous plant beds elsewhere. · Easy to find
What is it?
Plant fossils are usually preserved as thin carbon films or impressions in fine-grained shale and mudstone. Carboniferous coal-measure rocks produce the classic British material — ferns, horsetails and the bark patterns of giant clubmoss trees.
What does it look like?
Flat black or brown impressions on a split rock face: feathery fronds, ribbed stems, or diamond and oval leaf-scar patterns on bark.
How to identify it
- 01Split shale along its natural layers with a chisel; plants appear on the freshly opened face.
- 02Impressions dry out and fade — photograph finds promptly.
- 03Repeating geometric patterns on bark are fossil leaf scars, not mineral markings.
Where to find plant fossils in the UK
- 01Compton BayIsle of Wight · Isle of WightDinosaur fossils · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · BivalvesModerateFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 02Brook BayIsle of Wight · Isle of WightDinosaur fossils · Fossilised wood · Plant fossilsModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 03Yaverland, SandownIsle of Wight · Isle of WightDinosaur fossils · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · BivalvesEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 04Hastings and FairlightEast Sussex · SussexPlant fossils · Fossilised wood · Dinosaur fossils · BivalvesModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 05Warden Point, Isle of SheppeyKent · KentShark teeth · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · GastropodsModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →