Aldons Quarry fossils and fossil collecting |
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 Aldons can be found along the A714, North of Pinwherry and South of Pinmore.
There is a small church which can be seen just on the western side of the road (left hand side if traveling from Pinwherry).
You can park near the church and walk west, up the track road leading up-hill. Follow the road, through the wooden gate all the way.
Where the road U-turns up hill turning back on itself, climb the embankment ahead, you should see the quarry to the North West. It has a small farm building near it.
GRID REF: 55.16769°N, 4.83182°W
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brachiopods, bivalves, cephalopods, gastropods, trilobites, graptolites, goniatites |
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The volcanic rocks at Aldons Quarry, contain a variety of Ordovician fossils, including trilobites, brachiopods, bivalves, cephalopods, gastropods, graptolites and goniatite. The fossils are found in mudstone which can be searched in the scree slopes. |
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Medium
Fossils at Aldons can be fairly common, but they are hard to spot. Most of the rocks are very hard, but where rocks have been weathered, they are easy to pick at.
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Older Children
This location is fairly safe, so children are allowed to visit, although they must b supervised at all times. |
Good Access
The quarry is a short walk from the church, so it is easy to access. The church can be difficult to find as it is well hidden. We advise to take a 1:50,000 or 1:25,000 map which shows the location of 'Aldons'. |
Disused
Quarry
Aldons is a disused quarry, the quarry is mostly overgrown but still has some good sections of scree to look through. Part of the quarry is being used by the farm for storing, with a building at the entrance. The best beds are towards the back of the quarry away from the building. |
Check Permission
Although permission is normally allowed to visit this site, the owners of the quarry live at the white cottage to the left of the church. We advise to seek permission as the quarry is being used by the farm. |
If you collect fossils in Scotland, the advice on best practice in the collection and storage of fossil specimens, set out in the Scottish Fossil Code, applies to you. The Code may be viewed and downloaded from www.snh.org.uk/fossilcode.
 
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The quarry at High Aldons ia fairly overgrown so the risk of falling rocks is small. The best area to collect is from the scree slopes. Please note that sometimes farm animals are around the quarry, so please be aware of this. The best advice is to check with the owners, who live at the white cottage just at the bottom of the road near the church.
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| Last updated: |
2008 |
| last visited: |
2008 |
| Written by: |
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks |
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Whilst most of the quarry is now quite overgrown, there are still some good sections to search. One of the best sections is a scree slope to the left of the building in the middle-back of the quarry. Here there are not only small scree fragments but some larger rocks too.
The lovely goniatite was found by turning over rocks in the scree slope, no tools are required, just patience and a good eye. There are so many different fossils that can be found in this volcanic formation, the most common have been trilobites and coniatites.
Deerhope Formation
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Ordovician, 450mya |
The volcanic Benan Conglomerate Formation found at Aldons, is part of the Barr Group and is of Caradoc age. This formation at its maximum thickness is 640m at Aldons Hill, but thins to 90m west and north-west of Aldons Hill. The Formation consists of a boulder conglomerate containing matrix supported clasts up to 1m across. The clasts are mainly of basalt, dolerite and gabbro. Most fossils found in this mudstone are also of Caradoc age, but an exotic limestone clast once discovered in this formation, contained fossils of Canadian age.
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If you enjoy collecting from volcanic rocks, then there are several locations which may be of interest. In the Girvan area, Craigneil is also part of the Benan Conglomerate Formation with similar fossils, Glenmard Wood, Ardwell Bay, Girvan (Shalloch and Woodland Bay), and Kennedys Pass. To the west of Scotland, North Berwick may also be of interest.
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Stone Tumblers |
Microscopes |
Geological Supplies |
If you are interested in fossil collecting, then you may also be interested in a stone tumbler (Lapidary). You can polish stones and rocks from the beach which
will look fantastic polished using a stone tumbler.
You can polish rough rock and beach glass whilst collecting fossils, on those days where you come back empty handed.
These are all high quality machines to give a professional finish to your samples. They can even be used for amber and fossils. |
At most locations, you can find microfossils. You only need a small sample of the sand. You then need to wash it in water and sieve using a test sieve. Once the sand is processed, you can then view the contents using a microscope.
We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereomicroscope for viewing microfossils. The best one we sell is the IMXZ, but a basic microscope will be fine. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.
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UKGE, the owners of UK Fossils, are your market leader for Geological Supplies and Geology Equipment. Suppling Retail, Education and Trade in the UK, Europe and beyond.
We sell a wide range of geological hammer and geological picks as well as fossil tools, starter packs and geological chisels.
UKGE is your geological superstore, selling a wide range of field equipment, rocks, minerals, fossils, geological and even microscopy! |
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