The Aust Bone Bed is a fossil-rich bed that occurs near the top of the Upper Triassic succession to the north of Bristol, and around the Severn Estuary – being especially well developed at Aust. There, the greyish-green rock contains well-preserved bones, teeth, scales and coprolites (fossil dung) mainly of fish and marine reptiles. This sample shows a toothplate from the roof of the mouth of a lungfish, Ceratodus, as well as the broken surfaces of bones and coprolites. Dissolving the matrix of this rock in dilute acid reveals a wealth of tiny teeth and scales.
- Item reference: BRSUG 7019
- Photographer: Simon Powell
- Copyright: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol
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