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Calvert Cliffs - BUST


RCW3D

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It's been a couple of weeks since I have gone out and I was itching to get out and search. We decided to make our first trip to the Calvert Cliffs at Matoaka Cabins/beach today. When we left Fredericksburg, it was windy but didn't seem to be too bad...with dreams of finding a Meg, we made the almost 2 hour trek to Matoaka. When we arrived, the wind was howling and the Chesapeake Bay looked angry, my wife and kids immediately had a concerned look on their face and I quickly suggested hat we turn around and head down to the Calvert Marine Museum to make the best of the day. They quickly agreed and we started to drive back out the road that we just came own a couple of minutes before...well, we weren't going anywhere. In the couple of minutes that we were there, a huge tree had come down blocking the entire road.

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tree3.jpg

 

It was no more than 2 minutes from the time we had driven through here, it kind of freaked us out.

We tried to make lemonade out of lemons and spent a couple of hours looking around. We didn't find anything impressive at all, a couple of small teeth, some coral, and some more little things. I'm anxious to get back and spend some real time covering some beach, I stayed pretty close but I now have a healthy respect for the dangers of the cliffs after seeing some of the recent landslides there.

 

mat2.jpgmat3.jpgmat1.jpg

 

I will be back, next time in some waders and boots though...and hopefully not in the middle of a howling wind!

Rob :D

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The winds and rain probably uncovered more fossils for collecting. We assume that you took another road out or had a chainsaw handy.

 

What age are the shells in the rock in the last photo?

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

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9 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

The winds and rain probably uncovered more fossils for collecting. We assume that you took another road out or had a chainsaw handy.

 

What age are the shells in the rock in the last photo?

 

The owners of the campground broke out chainsaws and cleared it within 2 hours.

 

I'm new to this but from my understanding, this is the Choptank Formation (Miocene) and they are 12 to 18 million years old. I poked around some of the new matrix but after having the tree come down and seeing fresh slides, I decided that I wanted to wait for a calmer day to really explore the area. Watching the trees sway back and forth on top of the cliffs kind of creeped me out! :blink:
 

Rob :D

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"Actually there was a large gentleman wearing a hockey mask that just showed up out of the woods and luck would have it, he happened to be carrying an axe..."

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8 minutes ago, caldigger said:

"Actually there was a large gentleman wearing a hockey mask that just showed up out of the woods and luck would have it, he happened to be carrying an axe..."


:dinothumb::rofl:

Rob :D

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If you are after sharkteeth, (which we know you are) matoaka really isn't the place to go. It is a nice place to visit and is more kid friendly but teeth are scarce and you mainly will find shells, coral, and sanddoller frags. And by the way I am glad that the tree missed you on your way in. Stay safe!

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I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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I am glad no one got hurt by the tree. Please remember in a tropical system. storm force winds can extend out over 100 miles. So if a storm center is off of the outer banks of N.C. (like on Sunday) the strong winds will often extend well into and possibly beyond the Chesapeake Bay. Even after the storm cleared us here early Sunday morning, we still had strong gusty winds well into Sunday night. 

 

An eye on the weather is one of the most important tools in fossil collecting. No fossil is worth someones life. It can wait for another day.

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Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

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10 hours ago, darctooth said:

If you are after sharkteeth, (which we know you are) matoaka really isn't the place to go. It is a nice place to visit and is more kid friendly but teeth are scarce and you mainly will find shells, coral, and sanddoller frags. And by the way I am glad that the tree missed you on your way in. Stay safe!

 

I'm still feeling out where to go, the Cliffs are definitely intimidating, both in size and how long they run. Without a boat...well, without a boat I would take in the bay, the options are limited by foot. I think my next trip to the cliffs will be at Brownies (need to get some waders first).

Rob :D

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I'm renting a kayak and heading out around the cliffs near Brownie Point. I was there two weeks ago and the beach was almost submerged. Should be fun. The cliffs are eroding more and more every year at an alarming rate. Let me know if you want in. I usually go on Saturdays.

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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6 hours ago, jsnrice said:

I'm renting a kayak and heading out around the cliffs near Brownie Point. I was there two weeks ago and the beach was almost submerged. Should be fun. The cliffs are eroding more and more every year at an alarming rate. Let me know if you want in. I usually go on Saturdays.

 

Thanks for the invite but I'll be heading out to Purse this weekend. I have a friend from high school that I haven't seen in 30 years coming down with his daughter who is a "shark nut"...I'm pretty sure I can put them on a ton of teeth at Purse.

Rob :D

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Right on. I've heard of Purse. Where is it located? Are you taking a kayak out?

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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On 10/10/2016 at 11:02 PM, RCW3D said:

 

I'm still feeling out where to go, the Cliffs are definitely intimidating, both in size and how long they run. Without a boat...well, without a boat I would take in the bay, the options are limited by foot. I think my next trip to the cliffs will be at Brownies (need to get some waders first).

 

2 cents.... My biggest Mako at nearly 3" and perfect comes from Matoaka a few hundred yards from the jetties as do several 3+ inch megs and thousands of smaller teeth, big croc teeth etc.... It is a tougher place to hunt than Brownies for sure tooth for teeth as noted but it can produce on a good day and was one of my favorite spots for a long time.  When the option was to fight Brownies crowds or get peace and quiet and the opportunity at a nice tooth without 100 other people joining you on the beach I often chose Matoaka and it paid. 

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8 hours ago, jsnrice said:

Right on. I've heard of Purse. Where is it located? Are you taking a kayak out?

 

On the Potomac, here's a link to a map:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Purse+State+Park/@38.4313856,-77.2494256,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xddc5d0f1e303c771!8m2!3d38.4313856!4d-77.2494256

 

No kayak necessary there, short walk to the beach and plenty of teeth for kids (big kids as well :P ) to find.

 

Rob :D

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