A FOSSIL festival will see some of Britain’s leading earth scientists descend on a North Yorkshire seaside town next month (September 2022).

The Yorkshire Fossil Festival will be held in Scarborough from September 16-18, with exhibitions based around the town’s Spa.

A range of geology experts will speak at the festival.

Award-winning Earth scientist, and star of BBC2’s Expedition Volcano, Professor Chris Jackson, will discuss the role rocks, fossils and minerals play in our everyday life through his lecture, ‘Can Geology Save the World?’

Gazette & Herald: Professor Chris Jackson will speak at the Yorkshire Fossil FestivalProfessor Chris Jackson will speak at the Yorkshire Fossil Festival

There will also be lectures from palaeontologist Dr Katie Strang, looking back at the earth’s history over 300 million years ago.

Better known on social media as @palaeokatie, Katie works in conservation, fossil research and is director of the Scottish Geology Festival for the Scottish Geology Trust.

Gazette & Herald: Dr Katie Strang will speak at the Yorkshire Fossil Festival next month in Scarborough Dr Katie Strang will speak at the Yorkshire Fossil Festival next month in Scarborough

At the festival, environmental scientist Dr Barry Lomax, from the University of Nottingham, will explain how he uses fossil plants to understand climate change climate change over geological time.

Gazette & Herald: Dr Barry Lomax will speak at the Yorkshire Fossil Festival in Scarborough next monthDr Barry Lomax will speak at the Yorkshire Fossil Festival in Scarborough next month

Gemmologist Sarah Caldwell Steele, who is known to her social media followers (@JetSarah) as Jetrock Girl and is widely considered to be the world’s leading expert in black gemstone identification, will give her lecture, ‘The Origins of Jet: A Monkey of a Puzzle.’

Sarah was first inspired by geology after finding a piece of jet on Whitby beach when she was seven. 

Festival director, Dr Liam Herringshaw, said: “We are thrilled to have such a wonderful quartet of speakers coming to this year’s Yorkshire Fossil Festival.

“Chris Jackson’s lecture of how geology can save the world will be inspiring and thought-provoking, while Katie Strang’s passion for, and promotion of, paleontology is second to none.

“Barry Lomax will show how fossil plants have plenty of scientific secrets, and Sarah Caldwell Steele’s eye-opening research will ensure you’ll never think about Whitby jet the same way again.”

At the festival there will also be displays and activities from local and national museums, universities and businesses, including The Paleontological Association and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Fossil experts from across the UK will be on hand to show their discoveries and are inviting festival-goers to bring along their own fossils for identification.

The festival will also see award-winning scientist and entertainer Steve ‘The Rock Showman’ Cousins take on the role of festival ringmaster.

Fossil and dinosaur themed films will be shown throughout the day at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, on Westborough.

This year’s festival is funded by Scarborough Museums and Galleries, Scarborough Borough Council and the Yorkshire Coast BID.

For more information about the Yorkshire Fossil Festival at Scarborough Spa, visit https://yorkshirefossilfestival.co.uk and www.scarboroughmuseumsandgalleries.org.uk