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Writer's pictureKatriona MacMillan

All you need to know about Scottish Fossils

Updated: Jun 3, 2023

[Updated 31st May, 2023]


Found in rivers, in the hills, in old quarries, and even in reservoirs, the few fossils for sale we have are polished to a high shine so that you can easily see the detail. Back before the last ice age or two, Scotland was a subtropical climate… although you might hardly believe it now. This means that some areas still show remnants of these ancient times via coral reef, petrified wood pieces and the odd fossil.


It is estimated that Scotland was a warmer climate some 300+ million years ago. We have many types of fossils here. We come across the occasional ammonite, we find evidence of where underground creatures have made their burrows in the sand, we see coral fossils, shells, crinoid disks, thalassinoides, burrows, forams, trilobites, brachiopods, Diplocraterion, rhizocorallium, sponges, bivalves, and zoophycos.


There is an interesting place in Glasgow called ‘fossil grove’ where you can see the remnants of 6 fossilized tree stumps. Entry costs a tuppence, and it is great that they have been preserved since first found in a quarry.


If you need help with fossil ID - and we do, you may find this book by Struan Reid useful.


Which type of fossils can be found?


Trilobites

The first trilobites are dated to 521 million years ago, while the last is dated to 252 million years ago. At some point, some of them lived on the Scottish coast.


Bivalves

These are circular creatures that form the ancestors of the modern mussel. Bivalves were tubular creatures wrapped in shells. Bivalve fossils are by far our most common find, although lots are mixed, you probably have one of these.


Diplocraterion

Evidence of U-shaped burrows that have been dug straight down into the ground by ancient creatures.


Thalassinoides and Rhizocorallium

These are burrowed tunnel systems created by pre-historic animals such as the sea anemone.


Crinoid Disks & Stems

A type of creature that would latch onto the rocks and had arms that resembled a frilled seaweed. We have found both stems and disks in Scotland. Somme of our locations include old quarries and reservoirs.


Zoophycos

The tracks made by a specific type of worm.


Forams

Single cell organisms that are helpful in placing the climate of a region, too small to see without molecular analysis.


Brachiopods

Circular shelled animals that latched onto the sea floor. Rather like the modern-day clam, these would open and close to eat. We do have a few brachiopods in the kitchen, waiting for their turn in the ultrasonic cleaner.





What is the meaning of fossils in Crystal Healing?


We believe fossils have a strange energy. It can be quite heavy and dense. It is the energy of something that has been so long dead that it turned to stone. Strangely, they feel better when polished and the animal, plant, or pattern, is revealed. Plant fossils feel less weighty than animal fossils do.


Fossils aren’t technical crystalline in structure, but they do still exude this stoic, eternal weight. It is the feeling of holding centuries in your hand. Because of this heaviness of time, it is the stone of letting go of past mistakes. If you are having trouble learning a lesson you should have already learned by now, or if you struggle to let go of the past, carrying a fossil in your pocket will remind you of the ‘nowness’ of life.


Nothing reminds you to live in the moment like the tiny weight of a few hundred thousand years in your pocket.


Fossils for sale from the Stone Circle


Although we do try to polish as many of our fossils as possible, we don’t polish them all. Some of them don’t take a shine and others crumble at the touch. Realistically, polishing some of the shapes typically found in limestone around the country would lead to damaging the specimen. Therefore, we polish what works and leave what doesn’t in it’s natural form. Though we do give them a bath.


As we mentioned above, we have several locations for fossils but we are keenly aware that they are a limited resource. As such, we tend to keep collecting to a minimum and rarely have pieces to sell. They seem to sell slowly though, so all the ones we do list tend to hang around a bit. After all, they’ve hung around a few million years, what’s a few more spent chilling on our website?


You can buy fossils for sale here in our shop, or you can go out and collect for yourself. It’s a healthy pastime that may or may not yield results. Don’t worry if you come up empty handed, that’s what we are here for. The best part about buying fossils online through the Stone Circle is that you know where each one came from. Sometimes, there are even pictures to prove it.




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