On my way home from a few days in Devon, I decided to go
across to Dorset and have a mooch along the beach at Charmouth! There have been
a few storms along the south coast which have caused some cliff falls – perfect
for looking among the scree for fossils!
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| The cliffs at Charmouth, heading (and looking) east from the car park. |
The fossils in this part of the coast are mainly ammonites from the Jurassic, though you can also
find crinoids and fish. I spent about an hour and a half walking along the
beach before I settled on a pile of flat pieces of shale – a pile that had
obviously been created by someone using a hammer to break pieces, but clearly
abandoned due to lack of finds. Within about 30 seconds I had found ten fossil
impressions! One mans trash etc.!
I kept picking up pieces and turning them over, pocketing any good finds. A lady came over to have a look and I told her I’d found loads, and then I helped her daughters find some. I also left a few for other people to find.
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| A few of the ammonite impressions I found within one pile of debris. Nothing spectacular and no individual, 3D, pyritised beauties - but fossils nonetheless! I like impressions and trace fossils as they are often overlooked by people who want to find The One. These are perfect for display pieces! |
In 2014 the Geological Society of London released a crochet pattern to make a mini Mary Anning - so I just had to take her with me to Charmouth!
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| Mini Mary Anning with her geological hammer and basket for her curios - ready for a geomooch! |
The cliffs here are dangerous – I saw evidence of multiple
mud flows and cliff collapse, and climbing these cliffs on the hunt for fossils
is a stupid idea. Most of the fossils are found on the shore, in the piles of
shale at the base of mud flows, or in the pebble area. This site is a SSSI so hammering the cliffs is a no-no, but using a hammer to break pebbles or bits
of shale is fine.
Be sure to check the tide times before you visit! The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is also a good first port of call – for advice re fossil hunting, hammer hire,
and tide times.
All pics belong to me and were taken by me. Links open in new windows.
