(Reptile Remains can be found on the foreshore near to Blue Anchor) - 2003

There are two main locations were bones can be found, though generally they can be found anywhere on the foreshore. The first is from the foreshore where entrance to the camping site is, stretching West until you reach the red Triassic beds. The second is when you reach the massive fault in which the sea always hits (noted by algae and overhands), past this point the lias begin again just before Blue Anchor, this is the main location from where the bones are being found, its in the top part of the cliff and the bones often fall and can be picked up from along the foreshore.

(Fault between Triassic Warren Bay and Blue Anchor) - 2003

Between Warren Bay and Blue Anchor, there is a large Triassic rock in the middle of the foreshore, if you search along the foreshore around this area, Crinoid slabs can be found.

(Stairs onto beach viewed from foreshore) - 2003

The yellowish limestone blocks surrounding the staircase originate from the cliff and are rich in a variety of bivalves, including scallop shells, oysters and gryphaea. The rock is quite hard but if you search the foreshore around the blocks you can find well preserved shells, especially oysters and gryphaea buried in the sand.

Rock platforms extend along most of the foreshore. At certain times of the year they become buried in sand and /or mud deposits and can be difficult to access.

At very low tides searching the mud at the ocean edge can yield some excellently preserved specimens. Local reports have included instances of finding whole crinoids (although these do not appear to feature in the finds from rocks further up the foreshore)

Many Ammonites can be found, though they are mainly broken unless you are luck enough to arrive after a fresh cliff fall. Ammonites can be found scattered amongst the foreshore, usually they are mostly just fragments, but occasionally, you will get an Ammonite is a small nodule, or if lucky a complete Ammonite which has fallen out of its nodule. The second prime location for where the Ammonites are found is at the location from where most of the bones are found, past the major fault which has been undercut by the sea where the lias start again. Ammonites are also often found within the fine shingle heading towards Blue Anchor.

(Rock platforms viewed from the foreshore) - 2003

In many places the rock platforms contain two quite distinct rock layers:

(Bedding structure) - 2003

The rock (shale) in the bottom layer (photograph – bedding structure) is extremely soft, wet and fractures into fine sheets when stressed. In some areas this shale contains imprint ammonites (up to a foot in diameter).

(White shelled ammonites in soft shale (about 2 inch diameter shells)) - 2003

Whilst it is difficult to extract fossils from this very soft shale due to its texture, a few white ammonites were extracted using a chisel to split off sheets of rock. (Fossils need to be placed into a protective container. As specimens dry they tend to split from the surrounding rock and crumble. Slowing the drying process by keeping the fossils wrapped in plastic with small air holes for several weeks seems to work well.)

The rock shown in the top layer (photograph – bedding structure) lacks fine bedding planes and is much easier to handle. In some areas it contains white or imprint ammonites.