Grinshill Quarry SSSI, Shropshire
Active quarry, exposure site, fossil collecting.
Grinshill Quarries SSSI, Shropshire, comprises a single active quarry and a network of disused quarries in the Triassic Grinshill sandstones, deposited approximately 240 million years ago. Over the years, the site has yielded a number of articulated specimens of the otherwise very rare small reptile Rhynchosaurus. The reptile's closest relatives are known from Tanzania. More recently, fossil footprints have also been found in the quarry.
The sandstone is currently extracted as a high grade building stone. It is this on-going extraction that offers the best opportunity for new reptile finds. To capitalise on this, the quarry operators are following a voluntary collecting code that ensures that any potentially interesting fossil bones and footprints are safeguarded. More common finds, such as fossil ripple beds, are placed on one side for visitors to see. This is an excellent example of co-operation between quarry operator and geologist to ensure that an active quarrying process still provides the opportunity for new fossil finds.
