Download or read book The Fen Ditton Fossil Diggings written by Bernard O'Connor and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-10 with total page 91 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late-1840s a new industry started in Cambridge - digging up fossils. Known as coprolites and thought by some to be fossilised dinosaur droppings, they were extracted in a large-scale open-cast mining operation to be used as the raw material in the manufacture of superphosphate - the world's first chemical fertiliser. This book investigates the social, economic and environmental impact of the diggings in Fen Ditton.