Fossil hunting at Cap Blanc-Nez

[Euhoplites]

I've enjoyed many trip reports that @Manticocerasman made about the chalk cliffs at Cap Blanc-Nez that I decided to make one myself.

A big tide, warm sunny weather and the summer season approaching... I only like one of those 3, a big tide  

The goal was to visit the albian gault layers if they were visible, but they were covered with sand.

I've collected some of cenomanian fauna already thus I decided to visit the turonian boulders.

 

Hunting in the turonian is not easy, it can be hours before you see something and everything has odd shapes that could be something. The scenery makes up for it.

However, when you see something it's usually good. And that day was no different.
A nice mammites nodosoides. Upon extraction it turned out way bigger (39cm / 15-ish inches) and better than expected.

A good 2 kilometers to the car.. and she's safe 

Currently the prep is looking really promising.

Went back on the beach and spotted a sweet acanthoceras rhotomagense, cenomanian in age.
At some points the lower layers of the cliffs are cenomanian in age, thus making a mix of finds possible.
It's unfortunate I did not take an in situ picture (the boulder itself is actually in the picture) , but you can clearly see what the sea had worn down of the ammonite which I could spot.

 

On the way back some more lovely scenery. I wonder if the germans did collect fossils during the time they were stationed in their bunkers looking towards England.

 

If you've enjoyed this post, please leave some feedback. Writing something strucured with pictures is surprisingly difficult 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Very nice photos.

Thanks for sharing. 

It's interesting to see the Mammites nodosoides from France as we have them in Southern Morocco as well. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by Tidgy's Dad

[Notidanodon]

Great report  

[Fossildude19]

Nice report!

We appreciate you taking the time to make it for us.   

[Neanderthal Shaman]

Great finds, thanks for sharing!

[Paleorunner]

Good job, nice photos.
Thank you for your time to share the report. 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Great report, and quite a complex stratigraphy locally, by the sound of it! It's also really annoying when and sand covers up the layers you're interested in. Has happened from me more than once, and is so hard to predict...! 

 

Still, I'd like to try my luck there some day!

[The Amateur Paleontologist]

Nice Mammites specimen, seems like prepwork is gonna make it look particularly neat.

Great fieldtrip report!

[Euhoplites]

On 5/23/2022 at 7:56 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

Very nice photos.

Thanks for sharing. 

It's interesting to see the Mammites nodosoides from France as we have them in Southern Morocco as well. 

 

Thank you! I'll try to post more often, mammites is quite a common find there. No lewesiceras or morrowites in southern morroco?

 

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

Great report, and quite a complex stratigraphy locally, by the sound of it! It's also really annoying when and sand covers up the layers you're interested in. Has happened from me more than once, and is so hard to predict...! 

 

Still, I'd like to try my luck there some day!

You should! The gault offers amazing variety. And if not that, you can always hunt in the cenomanian of turonian. Only a couple of 100th meters of eachother.

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, Euhoplites said:

 

Thank you! I'll try to post more often, mammites is quite a common find there. No lewesiceras or morrowites in southern morroco?

Yes, I think those other two genera do occur but that Mammites is seemingly more often found in Morocco with Fagesia and Choffaticeras.