Turkeyland Limestone Quarry, Malew

IoM's ONLY significant Carboniferous Limestone exposure — making this the island's best site for 'proper' fossils (body fossils rather than just trace fossils). While most of IoM is poorly fossiliferous Ordovician slate, this small quarry exposes limestone from the Carboniferous period (~340 million years ago) when IoM was a shallow tropical sea near the equator. WHY COLLECT HERE: This is where you find the fossils people actually recognise — crinoid stems (sea lily columnals that look like stacked Polo mints), brachiopods (shells), corals (both solitary and colonial forms), and bryozoa (lace-like colonial organisms). The limestone is much easier to split than the hard Manx slates, and fossils are more abundant. This is a quarry so seek access permission and watch for unstable faces. Best site on IoM for introducing children to fossil hunting.