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Watchet September 2003 |
A three day excusion North Somerset September 2003.
DAY 1.. 22nd A good windy day and we spent it touring the localities of fossils. StAudrie's was completely shut off because the one road was shut for repairs. Blue Anchor though we toured the beach had nothing signifcant to offer. This we decided only left us with the best bet Doniford bay. The tides seemd right and we took a stroll along the edge on an in coming tide so not much was done. The wind was stirring up the waves and scouring the beach (good news? or bad? Mud or no mud?)
DAY 2 Low tide was 10 ish so we were greeted with the site of a flat calm day and a beach soured completely of mud (sunny and warm too) we made out way ouy to the steps and soon were in the fossils The first streach was the pearlised fossil ammonites (for that area mostly Psiloceratidae) There were marks of exsesive chipping and hammering. This as I found after a couple of tenitive tries a very silly and destructive thing to do. The fossils are very brittle and there is no way you can remove them with out huge ammount of damage to them or their neighbours.
They are best left for others to enjoy, later I found that all these fossils were just waiting to be collected.
Next we came to the lime blocks that con tained the remains of the large Ammonites. these too had taken a regular bashing and were just as awkward and silly to attack (unless you had an industrial diamond cutter and a crane ). Next the thin shales that contain the white calcite type ammonites Now here is the silliest thing in the world. to try and extract a whole one of these, and when you succeed what then? (any one know ?)
Well depressing day some trace fossils a few broken ones and that was all. We headed home directly across the middle of the steps where there is a long flat expanse of mud stone and sand. It was here that we found the first tangable fossils in the shape of Gryphea, loads of them sticking up out of the mud stone. We collected some good specimens and sone shells.
Walking on we came to a shale and stone wash out area on the edge of a low slope, it was here we found every thing you could wish for, shale slates loaded with pearlised ammonites mudstone pebbles containing parts of ammonites and some whole ones too some shells more gryphea, Pearlised amonnites just laying on their own. A whole Aladins cave of fossils. We collected the best and left the rest.
Our day complete we left and trudged home. Now wether that wash out area is always there or if it was just uncovered for that time I dont know. We had a good cross section of Donifort bay fossils (unfortunately no bones or such ) but were happy to leave the rest for others.
There are some photos to show these two days and as soon as I find out how to post them I will
Dave D. |
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