Oxroad Bay
Geological Conservation Review site | GCR #365 | Palaeontology | Palaeozoic Palaeobotany
Scotland's geosites are chosen because of their local, national or international importance. Take only photos, leave only footprints: avoid causing any damage to this site. You can walk almost anywhere in Scotland without the need to ask permission or keep to paths, but you have a responsibility to care for your own safety, to respect people's privacy and peace of mind and to cause no damage.
This site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of a SSSI, and this includes unauthorised sample collection.
The right of access does not extend to quarries, building sites or any land where public access is prohibited, or to the collection of geological samples.
Summary
This is an internationally important site for its unique suite of early Dinantian plant petrifactions. Particularly important are the seeds, which are amongst the earliest examples that are structurally preserved. The composition of the flora appears to have been influenced by nearby volcanic activity, and is quite different from the other known coeval floras in which lycopods and/or equisetes play a more dominant role. About a third of the species found here appear to be endemic. The combination of fine anatomical preservation and unusual floral composition makes Oxroad Bay a key palaeontological site.
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