Seatown, UK hunt with rare ammonite

[Aurelius]

I popped down to Seatown today (one village along from the world-famous location of Charmouth). I haven't been there for years because we got a dog who has special needs (he's mad, basically) and whom I didn't trust in such a location. However, we thought we'd chance it, and sure enough, he was OK (apart from destroying his crate on the way there and going bananas on the way back).

 

 

This is Seatown beach, with Golden Cap in the background.

 

Finds were incredibly thin on the ground. This past week has been the half-term holidays, so the beaches will doubtless have been filled with families hitting one rock against another, and hoovering up any obvious finds. The tides were also incredibly weak and barely touched the bedrock or the slumped clays.

 

However, fortune smiled on me when I spotted an absolutely tiny recent rockfall (probably less than 15kg of rock), which contained two lovely loose ammonites and a promising nodule. These are all from the Green Ammonite Member, named for the green calcite which is present in many of the ammonites.

 

First off, this tiny one. I'd guess this is androgynoceras or one of that lot.

 

 

But more excitingly, I found this beauty. This can only be prodactylioceras, a very rare ammonite in the UK. It is pyritised and in reasonable condition. 

 

 

As found, and then, after a quick soak to remove the clays.

 

 

The spines of this species are in evidence:

 

Most of the decent ammonites in this location are found in hard limestone nodules. Whilst loose ammonites are very common in the shale layers, they are normally crushed, with only the body chamber being preserved in three dimensions. I was very fortunate to find two loose, completely 3D ammonites in the same spot. I'd never found a prodac before, so needless to say, I'm fairly pleased.

 

I also found some nice little nodules which I will post below tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

[JarrodB]

That's a cool looking place and great little ammonite. Congrats! 

[Darktooth]

Nice finds!

[Ludwigia]

Nice finds! You sure were lucky to find a Prodacty with the spines still intact.

[Max-fossils]

Very sweet finds! Congrats!

[Monica]

Nice spines on that ammonite - congratulations on the great find!!! 

[amaltheus]

Prodacs are very rare on the Jurassic coast, never seen one in pyrite so a really good find.

Always the chance to find a fossil even with so many people looking, thats what so good about this Jurassic coast.

Well done

[Aurelius]

27 minutes ago, amaltheus said:

Prodacs are very rare on the Jurassic coast, never seen one in pyrite so a really good find.

Always the chance to find a fossil even with so many people looking, thats what so good about this Jurassic coast.

Well done

 

Thanks I actually found another on the same day, but it was too badly degraded to be worth picking up (literally falling apart when touched).

[Manticocerasman]

Nice ammonites  congrats. Especialy the Prodactilioceras davoeii.

 

 

[caldigger]

I wish all ammonites cleaned off as easily!

[FossilDAWG]

I wish we had ammonites like that around here! 

Don

[Fossil-Hound]

Very nice ammo. Congratulations on the find.

[JohnBrewer]

Nice finds!

 

last year I walked with @Barerootbonsai from Charmouth to Seatown in very hot weather, not easy. Found some cracking belemnites, some with fragmacones. This summer I did the same walk with Kate my wife and Violet (9 years old). Wasn’t so hot but still a trek. Mostly ammos but nothing rare.