FunkyMonkey Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 H, The family and I spent a lovely week at Walton on the Naze in Essex, UK. As it was the Easter break the site was very busy with collectors young and old, but we still managed to find some interesting pieces. The site itself is London Clay (c53my) with a junction bed above from which whale bone and Megalodon teeth can be found. Above this is the distinctive Red Crag (c.2my). Lastly are glacial deposits and later from which Neolithic and Roman finds have been found over the years. The site is rapidly eroding at a rate of about a metre a year however there are daily land slips and falls so whether that rate is accelerating its hard to say. Most of the finds are in the shingle and with my eyes I had to adopt the 'hands and knees crawl' technique to see anything other than a blur of shapes. All of the finds below (with the exception of the potential neolithic finds) are from the London Clay sediments. The Site: We found a lot of striatolamia shark teeth. Its possible there are other species within this, however we haven't had time to have a detailed look at each tooth yet: Two nice Otodus shark teeth were found by my wife: A pair of what we believe are well worn ray dentition plates. They were hard to photograph so apologies for the lack of clarity: On a previous trip a few weeks ago we also found this. Both turtle and bird bone have been found on this site. Could this be either?: I've included a fossilised twig and a seed that I picked up. The beach is littered with these and tend to be ignored by the fossil hunters as they are so common. I like them: Lastly I've included two interesting finds. The ball is from Walton and the 'spear point' was from Dovercourt just up the coast. In an archaeological context these might be exciting finds - the ball is similar to others that have been described as hammer stones, gaming pieces or sling shots. The 'spear point' shows signs of rework along both edges. Out of context, within the beach shingle, they are just interesting stones but I thought I'd share them anyway: Any comments would be appreciated. Happy Hunting! Carl 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Thanks for the trip report showing an area that I'm not at all familiar with. If I lived near there I'd be out hunting quite frequently. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Nice report, finds, and pictures. Thanks for posting. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Nice finds. Can we have more photos of this tooth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted April 19, 2017 Author Share Posted April 19, 2017 Thanks for the kind comments. @Kosmoceras - yes of course. I'm currently away from Walton (and my finds) until the 28th April but I can certainly take some better ones then. Would front, back and side work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 and more pix of the bone.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Nice finds! Thanks for sharing! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yvie Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Must get there sometime,looks like you had fun.Lovely finds. Yvie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted April 19, 2017 Author Share Posted April 19, 2017 Thanks all for the kind comments. @jpc - I did have one other picture of the bone but I don't think it adds very much. I can take some more when I am back home: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 end on view might help determine if it is bird. I am seeing more of a reptile bone, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted April 20, 2017 Author Share Posted April 20, 2017 Thanks jpc. I'll add them to the thread in a week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHARKY Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Hi Funky Monkey they are some amazing finds, lovin the Otodus. I was just wondering did you find the fossils on the settled London clay on the floor, that is several meters away from the cliffs sand and shingles. Or were all fossil found lying on sand and in amongst shingles. any information will help me understand as I'm fairly new to the hobby/ forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted April 24, 2017 Author Share Posted April 24, 2017 Hi Sharky, Most of these were found in the shingle banks that congregate about 10 metres or so from the cliff and were found by slowly scanning and sifting the shingle. I tend to look for congregations of stones that are roughly proportionate to the size of teeth before committing my back to getting down to the floor. The Otodus was found amongst larger pebbles at roughly the same line. Walton can be productive one day, and next to nothing the next. Its quite dynamic with the foreshore changing its character seemingly daily depending on how much material has crumbled from the cliffs between tides. Its that changing nature (and the finds!) that keep me going back to the same spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 It just goes to show how quickly this site changes. Sand obscured the better outcrops of shingle and we only found a handful of bashed up teeth this weekend. Let's hope the shingle is exposed again soon. @Kosmoceras - Here are some further shots of the tooth you asked for. They arent brilliant - i really need to invest in a better camera: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 @jpc - Here are some more pictures of the bone. Again, not brilliant I'm afraid: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 Hmmmm... certainly not bird. Too much cortical bone in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 The plot thickens! Could it be turtle? Turtle remains have been found from the London Clay layer previously (if rarely). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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