Local Geology

The geology of the Bolton district is dominated by the shales and sandstones of the Carboniferous period. These are rocks formed between 360 and 299 million years ago. They are often coal-bearing rocks.

Some Permo-Triassic sandstones, around 250 million years old, are seen in the south and east of the region.

In this section of the website we will focus on Bolton’s geological sites and history.

The Holotype of Maiocercus orbicularis

This is the fossil of a Trigonotarbid, a creature related to spiders, scorpions and mites. The head body and legs are missing, this is just the abdomen. It is 300 million years old and was found in rocks in Westhoughton around 1911 by E.Leonard Gill, curator of the Hancock Museum, Newcastle. It is the first and only example of the species, the one referred to when the species was named, and as such we call it the 'holotype'.

Coal

Coal was vital to the development of many towns in the North of England. The region was recognised as a source of coal by the Romans, but it was in the 16th Century that the industry began to develop. Bolton’s coal seams were never fully exploited and it is estimated that nearly half of England’s opencast coal reserves are in this region.

Coal Measures Fossils

Coal-mining had a major effect on palaeontology, the study of fossils. As the miners worked the coal seams, they would find the remains of plants and animals that had lived at the time the coal formed, more than 300 million years ago.

Fossil Plants

Plant material represents the most significant percentage of Bolton’s fossil collections. These specimens are nearly all local, dating to between 300 and 350 million years ago.

Anglezarke Moor

White Coppice on Anglezarke was mined for lead, barium and copper from around 1700 till 1830. Mine workings can still be seen at Lead Mines Clough.

The Bolton Meteorite

This object was found in the backyard of a house on High Street, Bolton, on August 12th 1928. It had cracked the paving and become embedded in the ground. On August 28th, an article appeared in the Bolton Evening News that suggested the object was a meteorite. The article was written by Thomas Midgeley, curator of Bolton Museum.

The Fossil banana

In common with the Bolton Meteorite; an item with a dubious title. Found in a coal pit near Wigan by miners, this object has a strange appeal!