Holidays can stretch out and seem endless, but having a topic / project can make all the difference. Fossil hunting is easy locally with Tertiary age fossils on the local beaches and other fossils in the area for the amateur to discover. You don’t even need any specialised equipment….
often a keen eye and patience and a small beach spade or fork is adequate.
There is a well known fossil bed which is exposed at low tide called the Bracklesham Beds. Here you will find mainly shark teeth, types of cockle and spiral shells and eagle ray bones which date back 45-55 million years ago!!
This and other local beaches are designated as SSSI – site of special scientific interest. To get to them park at the car park at Bracklesham (pay and display ) at low tide and walk out… they have a somewhat muddy texture to the ground underfoot. If you want to find out more you can visit the Tertiary Research has Group which is a branch of the Geological Society in London. Their website is www.trg.org
Did you know that the flints on the beaches are also fossils! They are fossilised sponges… and we have millions of them! They are often used in local walls as they are very hard and also decorative. Try and find ones with a hole in them and string them up… and some even have crystals inside them! Magical. They may bring you luck!
What a great way to spend a few hours on the beach! Make it a whole family event – little eyes and fingers and natural curiosity will do the rest!
Copyright Gayle Palmer 2015. All rights reserved.
