Fossil hunting trip to Cap Blanc Nez (Cretaceous of France)

[ziggycardon]

Hi everyone,  

 

Last week after getting lots of recommendations from people I spend a couple of days at Cap Blanc Nez in France to look for some fossils. 

And while it wasn't to most bountyfull hunt I did have a lot of fun and I was very pleased with the little finds that I managed to do. 

We had very nice weather, it was sunny and the temperature was just perfect for fossil hunting, and the cliffs and beach (and landscape overall) were absolutely stunning.

 

The fossils in Cap Blanc Nez date back to the Cretaceous and there are deposits from the Turonian, Cenomanian & Albian. 

 

 

 

I spent a lot of time searching in the clay deposits which lay on the beach.

 

 

Besides fossils we also found some washed up marine life:

A large jellyfish (Rhizostoma sp.)

 

A washed up Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

 

A washed up Small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)

 

We also payed a little visit to the beach at Wissant although we didn't went there to search for fossils but to visit an old shipwreck

 

[ziggycardon]

And here are some of my finds:

 

My favorite find which I dug up in some clay, a nautilus (Eutrephoceras sp.)

 

Some ammonite fragments

 

 

Sponges, Exanthesis labrosus I believes these are. (Cenomanian)

 

I will have to get some proper tools before I start prepping this one, but this is a Schloenbachia varians (Cenomanian)

 

 

A fossil oyster

 

 

Some nice brachiopods (Cenomanian)

 

 

The Brachiopods (Cenomanian as well as a bivalve (Inoceramus subsulcatus) and an small urchin (Albian)

 

 

An other urchin which still has some prep to endure.

 

Some rusty pyritised ammonites and bivalves (Albian)

 

 

To preserve them a bit we put them in blocks of epoxy resin.

 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

I still have to visit Cap Blanc Nez some time, as we didn't get around to it last time I was in the Boulonnais. Very interesting to see how the coast looks up there, and what finds you were able to make. Very nice report!

[Tidgy's Dad]

Lovely photos and a nice report. 

I really like the brachiopods (of course), the nautiloid and most of all, those wonderful sponges; 

It's interesting that the catshark is also  known as the dogfish...........

[Myrmica]

Thanks for the wonderful report.  I was able to visit the area a few years ago but had only a couple of hours to snoop around.  It is so beautiful, and small, pyritized fossils were abundant.

[ziggycardon]

8 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

I still have to visit Cap Blanc Nez some time, as we didn't get around to it last time I was in the Boulonnais. Very interesting to see how the coast looks up there, and what finds you were able to make. Very nice report!

It is well worth the visit even without all the fossils as it is a truly gorgeous beach.  

 

8 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Lovely photos and a nice report. 

I really like the brachiopods (of course), the nautiloid and most of all, those wonderful sponges; 

It's interesting that the catshark is also  known as the dogfish...........

Thank you, the brachiopods were the first fossils I found on the beach. 
I was very glad that I managed to extract them from the rock without damaging them  

 

And yes in dutch we call them "hondshaai" as well which translates to dogshark.  

 

3 hours ago, Myrmica said:

Thanks for the wonderful report.  I was able to visit the area a few years ago but had only a couple of hours to snoop around.  It is so beautiful, and small, pyritized fossils were abundant.

 

Thank you!

The Pyritized ammonites and belemnites did indeed lay in heaps among little pools in the Gault Clay, unfortunatly most (especially the belemnites) were very poorly preserved. 

[Yoda]

@ziggycardon

 

Looks like a fantastic trip.

 

How did you encase some of of those Ammonites in resin ? 

[traveltip1]

Great report....

[ziggycardon]

On 9/17/2021 at 9:52 AM, Yoda said:

@ziggycardon

 

Looks like a fantastic trip.

 

How did you encase some of of those Ammonites in resin ? 

Thank you! 

 

My mother makes stuff out of epoxy resin in her spare time (coasters, jars, wave art, etc...) 

She buys lots of molds online to make stuff, but she also has some simple cubic shaped molds which she has used to previously encase some of my old dried beetles. 

And I thought to myself, maybe it is worth a shot to try and encase the rusty pyritized ammonites as well to preserve them a bit longer. 

And I must say the result turned out quite well  

[Everhardus]

My daughter came up with the same idea of encasing some of my Aveyron pyrite ammo’s. She made nice necklaces, earrings but sadly stopped doing so. 
 

 

[hemipristis]

Gorgeous scenery! The second photo is breathtaking!

I believe if I were there I would find the beauty and geology distracting me from fossil collecting!

[Manticocerasman]

On 9/16/2021 at 2:45 PM, ziggycardon said:

And here are some of my finds:

 

My favorite find which I dug up in some clay, a nautilus (Eutrephoceras sp.)

 

I'd rather say it's a Cymatoceras  that is slightly worn so you don't see the ornamentation anymore. 

The suture lines are the reason I doubt that it is Eutrephoceras.

here the lines are curved, but with Eutrephoceras the suture lines are almost a straight line to the center.

 

[ziggycardon]

5 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

I'd rather say it's a Cymatoceras  that is slightly worn so you don't see the ornamentation anymore. 

The suture lines are the reason I doubt that it is Eutrephoceras.

here the lines are curved, but with Eutrephoceras the suture lines are almost a straight line to the center.

 

Thank you for the correction, I see what you mean indeed! 

Good thing I haven't printed my ID cards yet!