If you had been standing on the top of the Hills 240 million years ago you would have been on the high point of a Barrier Reef about 30 miles out to sea! Looking to the East you would be gazing over a deep sea and behind you would be the warm, shallow Zechstein Sea. Living in this shallow sea were millions of shellfish of various kinds, thriving in the warm, salty water. Fossils of these creatures can be seen in the rock and some are of international importance.

 

Please note that it is illegal to remove fossils from the Hills which have SSSI status (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

 

The rock making up the Hills is known as Magnesian limestone. A very rare type of grassland grows on it because its soil is rather poor! This sounds odd but it means that many delicate plants can grow without too much competition from faster growing species. The result is a fantastic array of flowering plants including six species of Orchid and the rather rare Blue Moor Grass.

 

Download images of Permian reef fossils here

 

Detailed information about the Zechstein Sea here