Elmley Hill
Region: Kent
Nearest Town: Minster-on-Sea
Geological Age: Ypresian • Eocene • Palaeogene • Cenozoic
Site Type: Foreshore • Cliff
About the Site
Elmley Hill is a small London Clay fossil locality on the southern side of the Isle of Sheppey, overlooking The Swale.
It is very different from the famous Warden–Minster cliffs on the north coast of the island. The exposure is much smaller, more isolated and considerably harder to reach, but it represents an older part of the London Clay succession and can therefore produce a different mixture of fossils.
Low London Clay exposures occur around the hills and adjoining foreshore. Fossils include crustacean remains, shark and fish material, crinoid fragments and other marine fossils, often associated with phosphatic nodules.
Elmley Hill is not a high-yield beginner locality. Its interest lies more in its unusual stratigraphic position and the opportunity to examine a comparatively little-exposed part of the London Clay on southern Sheppey.
Geology & Stratigraphy
The fossil-bearing deposits belong to the London Clay Formation, part of the Thames Group and of Ypresian age.
The London Clay at Elmley Hill consists mainly of marine silty clay containing phosphatic and septarian nodules, pyrite and other mineralised material.
Published work places the exposure within traditional London Clay Division B. More detailed collecting observations have placed much of the fossiliferous succession around the B1–B2 interval.
Elmley Hill is particularly important because the Miramar Crinoid Bed, a distinctive fossiliferous horizon within Division B, has been formally recorded here.
In the modern BGS lithostratigraphic scheme, Division B belongs to the Aveley Member of the London Clay Formation. The Aveley Member consists mainly of silty clay with regular discontinuous concretionary layers and occasional thin silty, sandy or glauconitic horizons.
The Elmley Hill succession is therefore older than most of the London Clay exposed along the Warden–Minster coast on northern Sheppey.
Palaeoenvironment & Palaeoecology
The London Clay at Elmley Hill accumulated in a warm marine shelf environment during the Early Eocene.
Fine clay and silt settled on the seabed while sharks, bony fish, crustaceans, crinoids, molluscs and other marine organisms lived in the surrounding waters.
The presence of crinoid-rich horizons provides evidence of particular benthic communities living on or immediately above the seabed during this part of London Clay deposition.
Changes in water depth, sediment supply and seabed conditions occurred repeatedly throughout the London Clay succession. This helps explain why the fauna at Elmley Hill differs from the younger fossil assemblages found on northern Sheppey.
The modern Swale marshes surrounding Elmley Hill developed much later and are unrelated to the Early Eocene marine environment in which the fossils were originally buried.
Fossil Preservation & Taphonomy
Many Elmley Hill fossils are associated with phosphatic nodules.
Crab and lobster remains may occur as fragments of carapace, claws or other hard parts within these nodules. More complete crustaceans are considerably less common.
Shark and fish teeth can weather free of the clay, while fish remains may also occur within nodules.
Crinoid material is particularly significant because a recognised crinoid-rich horizon occurs within the Elmley succession. Individual pieces may appear as small discs or cylindrical stem fragments with a regular internal pattern.
Pyrite and selenite also occur within the London Clay and may become concentrated amongst the harder material on the foreshore.
Some London Clay used historically in nearby embankments was dredged or moved during construction. Fossils weathering from such material are not in situ and should not be assumed to represent the geological bed beneath the embankment.
The same caution applies to loose foreshore finds, which may have been moved by modern tidal action after erosion from the clay.
Collecting Guidance
Where permission has been obtained, a falling tide approaching low water provides the best opportunity to examine the upper foreshore.
Look for patches of shingle, phosphatic nodules and harder material washed clean of the surrounding clay.
Avoid the lower foreshore even when the tide is out. Much of it is heavily silted and can be extremely difficult or unsafe to walk across.
Because the exposure is small and erosion is relatively limited, conditions and fossil availability can vary substantially between visits.
If access has been authorised, useful equipment includes:
- sturdy waterproof boots with very good grip
- gloves
- knee pads
- a hand lens
- small specimen bags or boxes
- labels or a notebook
- drinking water
- a fully charged phone
- tide and weather information
A geological hammer is unnecessary for normal surface collecting.
What to Look For
Look amongst phosphatic nodules, patches of shingle and naturally weathered London Clay.
Crustacean remains are among the characteristic finds. Pieces of lobster or crab may appear as patterned shell, sections of carapace or parts of claws within small nodules.
Small shark and fish teeth may occur loose amongst harder foreshore material. Look for glossy enamel and a definite tooth shape rather than relying on colour alone.
Fish bones and other small vertebrate remains can also occur.
Crinoid stem fragments are particularly worth recognising at Elmley Hill. They may appear as small circular or cylindrical pieces with a regular central opening or patterned surface.
Pyrite is common, while clear or pale selenite crystals may also weather from the London Clay. These are minerals rather than fossils.
Use Fossils at this Site for individual species identification.
Fossils at this Site
Explore fossils recorded from this site, see how to recognise them and, where enough LBPS records exist, what collectors are actually finding.
What collectors are finding
Typical examples from this site
Different anatomical parts or preservation styles can look very different. Choose an example to view it larger.
About this information
Fossil occurrences come from reviewed LBPS records. Encounter frequency and abundance use eligible collecting sessions where all finds were recorded. Preservation rarity uses the condition recorded at the time of collecting. Identification photographs may come from dedicated Fossil Examples or linked public LBPS Specimens; neither influences rarity or frequency calculations.
Visitor & Access Information
General Location
On the southern side of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, overlooking The Swale and west of the main Elmley National Nature Reserve visitor area.
Elmley Hill is a separate fossil locality from the Warden–Minster coast on northern Sheppey.
Directions
Access to Elmley National Nature Reserve is from the western side of the Isle of Sheppey, close to the Kingsferry Bridge.
The King Charles III England Coast Path also has a link from the Swale Station/Kingsferry Bridge area and passes through the reserve.
However, the public trail diverts inland around Elmley Hills and does not provide unrestricted access to the fossil-bearing foreshore.
Anyone intending specifically to visit the fossil locality should contact Elmley Nature Reserve before travelling and follow the access route or instructions provided.
Parking
Elmley National Nature Reserve has visitor parking at Kingshill Farm, Isle of Sheppey.
Current day visits to the reserve are managed through advance booking, and parking is intended for authorised reserve visitors.
Do not rely on older fossil guides that describe roadside or dead-end parking close to the western seawall, as access arrangements have changed significantly.
Terrain
Elmley is a remote, low-lying coastal landscape.
Reaching the fossil area involves substantial walking over grass tracks, coastal paths and uneven ground.
At the exposure itself there are:
- low London Clay banks
- extremely sticky clay
- patches of shingle
- phosphatic and septarian nodules
- soft estuarine mud
- tidal foreshore
The lower foreshore can be dangerously soft.
Wet clay readily accumulates on footwear and can make even the firmer ground tiring to walk across.
Access, Permissions & Responsible Collecting
Elmley is a National Nature Reserve, and access is managed primarily to protect internationally important bird populations and wetland habitats.
The King Charles III England Coast Path provides a public walking route through the reserve, but around Elmley Hills the route deliberately runs inland rather than along the shoreline.
Do not leave the permitted route to reach the fossil exposure without current permission from Elmley Nature Reserve.
Where fossil collecting is specifically permitted, it should concentrate on naturally released loose material. Do not excavate the low cliffs, dig into the London Clay or disturb vegetation and wildlife habitat.
Elmley currently requires day visitors entering through the reserve to pre-book, and visitors are required to remain on marked trails.
Dogs are not permitted within the reserve except registered assistance dogs.
Safety & Legal Information
Safety Information
The principal hazards are deep mud, sticky London Clay, tides, remoteness and difficult access.
Do not venture onto the extensive lower mudflats. Natural England identifies the mudflat and saltmarsh around this part of The Swale as unsuitable for public access because the ground is soft, tidal and crossed by channels that may be difficult to see.
Wet London Clay is exceptionally sticky and can rapidly build up on boots, making walking tiring and increasing the chance of slipping.
The approach is long and the locality is relatively remote, so carry sufficient water, appropriate clothing and a charged phone.
Check tide and weather conditions before setting out.
Do not leave permitted paths or access areas in an attempt to shorten the route.
SSSI / Legal Restrictions
Elmley Hill lies within the exceptionally sensitive Elmley National Nature Reserve and the wider protected landscape of The Swale.
The area forms part of The Swale SSSI, SPA and Ramsar site, reflecting its international importance for breeding, migrating and wintering birds.
Natural England has introduced a year-round exclusion of coastal access rights from the coastal margin around Elmley Hills and Elmley Round Fields to prevent disturbance to wildlife. The public coast path remains open, but it is routed inland around this sensitive area.
Visitors must therefore not assume that the existence of the coast path gives unrestricted access to the fossil-bearing foreshore.
Contact Elmley Nature Reserve before making a dedicated fossil-collecting visit and obey all current access instructions, signs and seasonal conservation measures.
Where collecting is authorised, keep it strictly low impact and take only naturally released material.