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UK coprolites from phosphate mines


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JBkansas

I was reading about the mass excavation of coprolites in the UK from the 1800s to WW2 and was wondering if there is any modern coprolite mining still going on there.  I can't seem to find any so I'm guessing all the mines are closed and boarded up but just find it surprising that something that was once so common that it was ground up and turned into fertilizer on an industrial scale can now only be found in museums.

Edited by JBkansas
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I take it you're talking about the Red Crag (Pliocene/Pleistocene) of Suffolk and Essex? They were never actually coprolites, just phosphate rich nodules (with the occasional possible true coprolite in the same beds). There hasn't been any mining for a long time. One well known relic of the period is the name "Coprolite Street" in Ipswich, a fine address to have!

 

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