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Walton on the Naze / Holland on Sea, Essex, UK - 16-18 Feb 2017


FunkyMonkey

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We had a very productive couple of days fossil hunting at Walton on the Naze and an unexpected find on the beach at Holland on Sea while playing with my daughter.

 

Here are the Walton finds:

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Firstly, left handed whelks (Neptunea) which were plentiful on this occasion (Red Crag formation)

 

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Next, Glycymeris and an oyster shell (Red Crag Formation)

 

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A handful of Striatolamia from the London Clay formation

 

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Two whale bone fragments from the junction bed. These are easy to spot due to their 'waxy' appearance. Very Tactile.

 

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An unidentified mammal bone from the Red Crag deposit. When I get a chance I'm going to see if I can narrow this down. Any ideas would be welcome.

 

Holland on Sea

The next one was a chance find from the pebble banks on the foreshore near the radar station at Holland on Sea. I was on a walk from Clacton to Walton with my family when I saw this. Its fossilised, feeling very stone like and heavy for its size.  I'd love to know what kind of bone (?) this is but I'm guessing its too small to identify unless its possible to do so from the pattern of the inner cortex? Any pointers would be welcome.

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That's it for now. Thank you for looking. 

 

 

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Thanks Darktooth

Hi Wrangellian - The Red Crag formation at Walton is generally placed within the Pliocene at approx 2.5 mya (the shelly deposit), however there are riverside gravels at the top of the cliff that are dated to the Pleistocene (c.0.5mya) which include mammal fossils.  The junction bed is was laid down during the Miocene epoch 23-7mya and the London Clay is dated during the Eocene epoch, c54mya. That gives quite a sweep and luckily each layer of the cliffs are fossil bearing.

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Nice shark teeth! How does this location compare to the other London Clay locations in your area: Harwich, Ramsholt and Levington? Which would you say is best for teeth? 

"In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..."

-Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas

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Hi Paleoworld - I haven't visited the other sites so I can't comment, however the site at Walton has a rapidly eroding cliff and so conditions (and specimens) change daily. One day the beach will be mainly clay, the next covered with a fresh red crag sand deposit. One day you can bring home a fist full of teeth, the next nothing. Its that ever changing nature that keeps us there and the expectation that one day we'll find one of the rare megalodon teeth from the junction bed or a mammoth tooth from the Pleistocene (both having been found there in recent years). I'll have to venture out and take a look at the other sites though - variety is the spice of life.

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