Fossils roots of the ancestors of modern trees can be found in the ravine at Shaly Dingle. These are from the Carboniferous period around 300 million years ago. When the land we know as Britain was located much nearer the equator and the area would have been something like a tropical swamp. These are also the conditions in which the coal seams formed.
You might be interested to know that it is estimated that around 30 Metres of fallen vegetation compresses to form about 1 Metre of coal.
In the interests of conservation it is often best practice to leave fossils in place for others to see, but here erosion occurs at a very rapid pace and anything you see exposed is destined to end up in the stream at the bottom of Shaly Dingle very soon. In fact, if you don’t want to climb the ravine you can find plenty of these fossils in the stream below.
I should think it’s OK to collect fossils you find on the surface, but don’t excavate for them, you could find yourself in danger from falling rocks apart from making the place less fun for future visitors.
In the photo you can seen the root of the Lycopsid as it grew through some silt like mud. The orangey coloured stuff is hydrated iron oxide or rust as it is more commonly known and is found in many local areas on Winter Hill and surroundings.
Fossil Lycopsid Roots image by munki-boy
A bit awkward to reach but great place for industrial archeaology, geology and fossil finding or just a splash about in the stream.
