Coprolite

This is a short overview. For the background — history, value over time and notable mines — see Coprolite →

Occurs in: Placer Deposits →

Phosphatic nodules dug in eastern England from the 1840s, misnamed coprolites after the fossilised dung they were first taken for — most are in fact phosphatised fragments of older rock and fossil material reworked into a basal marine bed. They were dug from shallow open pits, washed, and dissolved in sulphuric acid to make superphosphate, the first artificial chemical fertiliser. The industry ran for about fifty years before cheaper imported phosphate rock ended it.