FossilMap

21/06/2026

Heading out fossil hunting this weekend?

Why not give FossilMap a try.
Record your finds, GPS locations, geological context and specimen details while you're still in the field—keeping the information that so often gets lost once you get home.

Completely free, works offline, no accounts, and your data stays on your device unless you choose to share it with FossilMapped to support research.

Every recorded fossil helps build a better understanding of the UK's geological heritage.
fossilmap.uk

17/06/2026

Every fossil recorded has the potential to add to our understanding of the UK's geology and palaeontology. But that only works if people know the platform exists.

If you've found FossilMap useful, we'd really appreciate you sharing it with your local fossil clubs, geological societies, museums, universities, collecting groups, palaeontologists, or anyone with an interest in fossils.

The aim has always been simple: create the UK's largest collector-generated fossil occurrence dataset while helping collectors keep better records of their own finds. Every new user makes that dataset stronger and more valuable for future research.

Thank you to everyone who has already shared the project and helped spread the word. It genuinely makes a difference.

FossilMap records the evidence. FossilMapped gives that evidence a research life.

www.fossilmap.uk

15/06/2026

FossilMap is a free fossil recording app designed to help collectors record finds properly in the field. It captures GPS locations, photographs, geological context and specimen information, all stored locally on your device with no account required.

For those who want to contribute to research, individual records can also be shared to FossilMapped, a separate public portal that aims to build a national fossil occurrence dataset generated by collectors and usable by researchers.

The app is completely free, works offline, and your data remains under your control unless you choose to share it.

We would genuinely welcome any feedback from collectors, geologists, palaeontology students and researchers.

fossilmap.uk

13/06/2026

FossilMap started with a simple frustration.

Too many fossils lose their story.

A specimen might sit in a collection for decades, but if the locality, geological formation, stratigraphy or find context were never recorded, much of its scientific value is gone forever.

That's why we built FossilMap.

Not just to catalogue fossils, but to capture provenance, geological context and specimen information at the point of discovery. Whether it's your first ammonite or your hundredth vertebrate fossil, the aim is the same: preserve the information that matters while it's still available.

FossilMapped is the next step. A separate research portal where collectors can choose to share records and contribute to a growing fossil occurrence dataset. Nothing is shared automatically, and your data remains yours. But for those who wish to contribute, shared records can become part of something much bigger.

Our long-term goal is simple: to help create the UK's largest collector-generated fossil occurrence dataset, preserving provenance, stratigraphy and geological context that might otherwise be lost, and making that information available for future research.

Simple enough for a first fossil. Structured enough to preserve useful scientific context.

fossilmap.uk

13/06/2026

🦕 Lyme Regis Fossil Festival weekend

If you're heading down to the coast, give FossilMap a try!

FossilMap is a free offline app that lets you record your finds in the field — GPS location, photos, stratigraphy, measurements — everything saved to your device.

Found something worth sharing? You can share it directly to FossilMapped, a public research portal where your record gets a proper BibTeX citation and appears on the community map for other collectors and researchers to see.

You control exactly how precise your shared location is — from exact GPS right down to locality name only. Your find, your data, your choice.

📱 Try it at fossilmap.uk

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend on the Jurassic Coast!

10/06/2026

New in FossilMap: Specimen Labels

One of the most common problems in fossil collecting isn't finding specimens — it's keeping the information attached to them years later.

FossilMap can now generate printable specimen labels directly from your records.

Each label includes:
• A unique specimen reference
• Key identification and locality information
• Geological context
• Specimen dimensions and weight
• A QR code linking directly to the full digital record

Keep your specimens connected to their data.

Because a fossil without its provenance is just a rock with a story missing.

As always, FossilMap remains free, works offline, requires no account, and keeps your data on your device unless you choose to share it.

09/06/2026

Quick FossilMap update for everyone recording finds in the field:

BGS geology lookup is now built into the Tools tab, allowing you to instantly view the geological formation and age beneath your feet from your GPS location.

When creating a new locality, Formation, Period and Stage can now be automatically populated from BGS data, helping to capture important contextual information while you're still in the field.

Quick Find now clearly shows which locality you're recording to before you save, reducing the risk of finds being logged against the wrong site.

An email privacy opt-out has been added when sharing records to FossilMapped.

Formation, preservation, find context and taphonomy fields are now editable on every find, making it easier to improve and refine records over time.

Plus numerous user interface improvements, quality-of-life updates and general refinements across the app.

Every fossil record is only as valuable as the information that accompanies it. FossilMap is designed to make recording that information as easy as possible, whether you're a casual collector, student, or researcher.

As always — fully offline, no account required, no subscriptions, and your data remains on your device unless you choose to share it.

Fossilmap.uk

05/06/2026

Update to FossilMap and FossilMapped is now live— location precision control.

One of the most common concerns about sharing fossil finds online is site protection. Exact GPS coordinates in the wrong hands can attract irresponsible collectors or commercial diggers to sensitive sites. It's something we have thought hard about from the start, and this update addresses it properly.

When sharing a find to FossilMapped, you now choose how precisely your location is shared publicly:

Exact GPS — full coordinates shared
~1km area — general area only

Your exact coordinates are always stored securely on your own device in FossilMap and are never shared without your explicit choice. The public FossilMapped portal only ever shows what you decide.

You're also not locked in at share time. If circumstances change — a site becomes publicly known, or a researcher gets in touch — you can unlock or relock exact coordinates at any point from within FossilMap.

For verified and research grade records, exact coordinates are always available to researchers. A research record without precise provenance isn't much use to science, but that upgrade only happens through the verification process — it's not automatic.

This is the right way to balance open science with responsible collecting. More updates soon.

fossilmap.uk

Record your finds, preserve provenance and build better fossil records. Easy enough for your first fossil, good enough for serious research.

03/06/2026

Updates to FossilMap and FossilMapped today.

On the FossilMap side, every specimen record now captures the date it was collected in the field — not just when the record was created. A small change but an important one for research-grade provenance.

FossilMapped has had several improvements too. The map now clusters nearby pins so busy sites like Charmouth and Whitby don't become an unusable mess of overlapping markers as the database grows. Citation exports are now properly escaped, so BibTeX downloads will compile cleanly in LaTeX without errors. And you can now share a direct link to any individual find — useful if you want to point someone straight to a specific record.

fossilmap.uk

01/06/2026

🌍 FossilMap has a new website! - fossilmap.uk

If you enjoy using FossilMap, we'd really appreciate your help spreading the word.

Please consider sharing the website or app with friends, local geology clubs, fossil groups, universities, museums, or anyone with an interest in fossils, geology, palaeontology, or the natural world.

Every share helps more people discover fossil sites, learn about geology, and contribute to the growing community.

Thank you to everyone who has supported FossilMap so far — we're excited to keep building and improving it.

🔗 Share fossilmap.uk today!