Microscopic Fossils
Last updated: 14 May 2008
Rod Williams from Talgarth has been interested in ancient fossils all his life. Here he writes about his passion for the past and calls for more dedicated people to search out these prehistoric relics.
"Old rocks have been dear to my heart holding a life long interest. Around Talgarth, we have the division between the Upper Silurian and Lower Devonian rocks around 410 million years old.
People walk around oblivious to the fact that they are walking on a very early but much altered landscape where early fishes swam, arthropods scuttled in and out of the waters, and primitive plants colonised the arid landscape that then existed south of the equator.
The fish were mainly jawless fish but jawed species like the acanthodians existed. The fish took on many bizaare forms and sported external boney skeletons with plate or tooth like scales. We need more interested persons who are dedicated enough to search out fossils."
Written by Rod Williams
More of Rod's fossil pictures...
More of Mid Wales' Mines and fossils...
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Rod Williams, Talgarth
In answer to Derek Addyman, I do not as a rule show anyone where fossils are because they are a finite resource and believe it or not many a good site in Mid Wales has been absolutely ruined by plunder because someone thought they would make a fast buck. Thankfully my fossils have little financial value being so small they take a microscope to see them in detail. Nevertheles there are bird brained idiots who would still wreck a palaeontological site in case there is something large lurking within which I can assure them there isn't. To find anything of commercial value you would need to move thousands of! tons of the right type of rock to find anything if you are lucky.The rocks I find my fossils in are fundamentally 400 million year old river channel gravels and the fossils are just part of the detritus all rolled in as part of the matrix. Anyone into the local Old Red Sandstone can always contact me, I am looking for an 'apprentice' if that is the word for it as you have to get your eye in and understand what you are looking at. If there are any genuine interested persons young or old then If anyone wants to contact me try the Breconshire Wildlife Trust or the Talgarth Historical Society.
Tue Sep 25 14:40:50 2007
derek addyman
roddy would you do conducted tours you know were i am.
Tue Mar 14 22:53:52 2006
Are you a fossil hunter in Mid Wales? Where are the best places to find fossils? Send us your pictures and we'll add them to the site!
