Trace fossil collections at the University of Manchester

Abstract

The University of Manchester collections of trace fossils are located on two sites. The Manchester Museum houses type, figured and reference specimens, including Triassic vertebrate footprints from Cheshire collected in the 19th century, and invertebrate trace fossils from Silesian rocks of the Pennines, Lancashire and Avon collected during the past three decades. Collections in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences comprise teaching, research and reference specimens built up since 1970. The specimens from teaching collections (about 200 items) are regularly used by undergraduates, further education students and schools for study and project work. The research collections (c. 1800 specimens) result from the work of academic staff and postgraduate students. They consist of specimens from local Carboniferous rocks, British Triassic sequences countrywide and photographs of ichnofabrics in cores from Jurassic rocks of North Sea oilfields.