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Any thoughts on smallmouth sands, Weymouth?


Pterygotus

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Does anyone have any thoughts or reviews on Smallmouth sands, Weymouth? It’s just i recently saw some dinosaur vertebrae from that location and would like to give it a try. Also, I keep hearing the word dredged. Is there some sort of cliff or ledge?

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Dredged means the area has most likely been replenished by moving sand & such from other areas, which also serves to deepen waterways in the areas being dredged. So some of the material found there could be from another location entirely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dredging

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Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties.

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At present, Smallmouth is producing very little. In fact, it’s the worst it’s been for several years and finds are few. The dredged bone comes from east or west of Portland, adjacent across Portland Harbour and from the deposits of Kimmeridge Clay which lie at the base of Portland’s geology, so ichthyosaur and pliosaur can be expected. Plesiosaur is rare. Smaller fragile bones and teeth of pterosaur (mostly Rhamphorynchus), turtle and crocodile also crop up but currently sand is washing in and covering everything and may take a very long time to clear. In the case of Smallmouth, dredged means transported and by the sea.  Consequently bone material is usually very worn. Dinosaur bones are rare and often identification of a species is very difficult from a single vertebra, so it’s not unusual for misidentification to occur. 

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On 19/04/2019 at 7:00 PM, Pterygotus said:

Does anyone have any thoughts or reviews on Smallmouth sands, Weymouth? It’s just i recently saw some dinosaur vertebrae from that location and would like to give it a try. Also, I keep hearing the word dredged. Is there some sort of cliff or ledge?

Smallmouth is a 'platform' of Kimmeridge Clay which extends under the sea to Portland. There are small cliffs but once you have descended down the steepest, from the trackway (see Photo 1) it's just a case of looking for anything that might have washed (dredged) in. On the other side of the main road, at Ferrybridge, the Fleet lagoon begins and a wander along the shoreline when the tide is right out, can produce finds as well. I've put a few photos off these below.

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On 19/04/2019 at 7:00 PM, Pterygotus said:

Does anyone have any thoughts or reviews on Smallmouth sands, Weymouth? It’s just i recently saw some dinosaur vertebrae from that location and would like to give it a try. Also, I keep hearing the word dredged. Is there some sort of cliff or ledge?

A few typical bone find- a vertebra of an ichthyosaur, Brachypterygus extremus but be aware, these are not commonly found. 

51736349_764758400565773_2725984703042551808_n-1.jpeg

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1 minute ago, onawhim said:

Smallmouth is a 'platform' of Kimmeridge Clay which extends under the sea to Portland. There are small cliffs but once you have descended down the steepest, from the trackway (see Photo 1) it's just a case of looking for anything that might have washed (dredged) in. On the other side of the main road, at Ferrybridge, the Fleet lagoon begins and a wander along the shoreline when the tide is right out, can produce finds as well. I've put a few photos off these below.

dscf0094.jpg

dscf0097.jpg

dscf0100.jpg

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Thanks for your reply :). I was thinking about visiting the oxford clay at tidmoor point nearby which is fairly fossiliferous I think?

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3 minutes ago, onawhim said:

Smallmouth is a 'platform' of Kimmeridge Clay which extends under the sea to Portland. There are small cliffs but once you have descended down the steepest, from the trackway (see Photo 1) it's just a case of looking for anything that might have washed (dredged) in. On the other side of the main road, at Ferrybridge, the Fleet lagoon begins and a wander along the shoreline when the tide is right out, can produce finds as well. I've put a few photos off these below.

dscf0094.jpg

dscf0097.jpg

dscf0100.jpg

dscf0099.jpg

Would this be Wyke Regis?

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Just now, Pterygotus said:

Would this be Wyke Regis?

Yes. Good parking just near to the old Ferrybridge Inn. Stay on that side of the Fleet mouth to access the site along the Fleet, otherwise cross over the Portland Road, taking the pathway along the Rodwell Trail and then precariously descending the only cliff by means of the rope! Once on the shore, the rest is obvious but you'll need wellies!

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3 minutes ago, onawhim said:

Yes. Good parking just near to the old Ferrybridge Inn. Stay on that side of the Fleet mouth to access the site along the Fleet, otherwise cross over the Portland Road, taking the pathway along the Rodwell Trail and then precariously descending the only cliff by means of the rope! Once on the shore, the rest is obvious but you'll need wellies!

OK thanks :)

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32 minutes ago, onawhim said:

A few typical bone find- a vertebra of an ichthyosaur, Brachypterygus extremus but be aware, these are not commonly found. 

51736349_764758400565773_2725984703042551808_n-1.jpeg

I can’t even find a tiny ichthyosaur vert at Charmouth :heartylaugh:though I might try my luck after storm Ciara :)

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1 hour ago, Pterygotus said:

I can’t even find a tiny ichthyosaur vert at Charmouth :heartylaugh:though I might try my luck after storm Ciara :)

Well, good luck and it is luck. I go there reasonably frequently but not every trip produces a vert, although I took a friend down a couple of weeks back, who found a plesiosaur tooth and a nice Gyrodus fish palate. Things do turn up. 

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7 minutes ago, onawhim said:

Well, good luck and it is luck. I go there reasonably frequently but not every trip produces a vert, although I took a friend down a couple of weeks back, who found a plesiosaur tooth and a nice Gyrodus fish palate. Things do turn up. 

Thanks, do you search on the foreshore or in the clay slippages? I’m not sure if I should try sieving them.

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2 hours ago, Pterygotus said:

Thanks, do you search on the foreshore or in the clay slippages? I’m not sure if I should try sieving them.

It’s entirely on the foreshore, which is demarcated by boulders, as the photos show. I also find the Fleet a good area and not just for bone. Around the WWII pillbox, on the Ferrybridge side is sometimes worthy of searching. 

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Just now, onawhim said:

It’s entirely on the foreshore, which is demarcated by boulders, as the photos show. I also find the Fleet a good area and not just for bone. Around the WWII pillbox, on the Ferrybridge side is sometimes worthy of searching. 

Sorry I was referring to Charmouth. I should have specified better :).

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1 hour ago, Pterygotus said:

Sorry I was referring to Charmouth. I should have specified better :).

The pyritic ammonites, bits of crinoid and small ichthyosaur vertebra are found in the shingle along Charmouth's east beach, under Stonebarrow. Here, the sea has done all the work and sifted the fossils out of the clay. You need to look out for pyrite and small shingle deposits on the foreshore and then it's a hands and knees job. You should be able to find ammonites and belemnites in quite a short time. The more spectacular fossils from Charmouth are found in nodules, which have either fallen to beach level from the cliffs or need to be gently prised from the clay. These will require prepping with an air pen, for sure but will invariably contain the better specimens. There are plenty of fossil preppers but if you strike lucky, I'll point you to a couple! The nodules resemble giant Smarties! Usually, an ammonite keel is protruding, or at least there is something about the nodule that gives a clue to the fossil being within. 

p146_1 (1).jpg

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From the Beach carpark, walk eastwards towards Golden Cap and start looking after a few hundred yards from the beach entrance point. Visit on a low or falling tide and watch those cliffs! The nodules also wash out and can be found amongst other boulders on the foreshore. There are lots of pros and collectors after the 'greens'. These are the nodules from the Green Ammonite Member of the Charmouth Mudstone.  

p146_2 (1).jpg

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All I ever find are pyrite ammonites and belemnites. I look strange every time I go fossil hunting with my back parallel to the floor and my hands on my knees making my way slowly across the beach :D. I do get a few nice specimens but never that bone. Would black ven be better for bone?

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3 minutes ago, Pterygotus said:

All I ever find are pyrite ammonites and belemnites. I look strange every time I go fossil hunting with my back parallel to the floor and my hands on my knees making my way slowly across the beach :D. I do get a few nice specimens but never that bone. Would black ven be better for bone?

Quite possibly and especially out on the ledges on a very low tide. Again, the sea has washed the fossils out into the crevices and these can be quite a productive hunting ground. Alternatively, try Monmouth Beach, a little further along heading west.

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5 minutes ago, Pterygotus said:

My hammers seem never to be strong enough to crack the greens for some reason :headscratch:

Final tip, don't try and crack them!! The fossil will almost certainly break. If you find a green that looks promising, get it prepped. 

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25 minutes ago, onawhim said:

Final tip, don't try and crack them!! The fossil will almost certainly break. If you find a green that looks promising, get it prepped. 

OK thanks :). This storm is really eating away at my windows :wacko:.

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33 minutes ago, onawhim said:

Final tip, don't try and crack them!! The fossil will almost certainly break. If you find a green that looks promising, get it prepped. 

Is this what a green looks like. I’ve been assuming this for about 10 years :DOH:
 

F8763B83-C072-4CF6-AC92-74F355B3D2F8.jpeg

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