Essex Rock & Mineral
Society Field Trip
Eype and Kimmeridge, Dorset, 10/11 October
2003.
Firstly, an apology, the information below has been gleaned from rare snippets of conversation with members and pictures supplied by David Turner. Hopefully, some more detail of members' finds will filter down eventually, when they do, this report will updated with the information. In the meantime......
Another enjoyable weekend trip attended by a fair few members, (18?). No finds have appeared at club night for any of us to view, however here are some pictures taken on the trip.
Kimmeridge
Bay.
From
the foreshore of Kimmeridge Bay.
Members
trekking around the bay to those likely spots in the distance!
On
member swears this is the spot where he lost his glass eye!
Others are helping him to look for it.
Here
we are at Steve Etche's fossil museum.
Real class specimens that most of us just dream about finding. Steve is the guy pictured in the foreground in this photograph.
This
is a Pliosaur jaw, a big one! The shark's jaw is there for scale. (As
for scale, the jaw of the shark is big enough to take your leg off at
the thigh with little trouble).
Another
showcase of fantastic specimens!
Can't
think of a nicer way to decorate the living room wall. This is a serious
collection!
How
about this Ichthyosaur, note the distinctive large eye orbit.
To sum up this trip without knowing what went on is impossible but I suspect it was great fun. My thoughts were that Kimmeridge Bay fossil collecting at this time of year would not yield any great finds because of the lateness of the "season" coupled with being an extremely well collected area. (That said; never let that deter anyone from going — you never know?) The experience, camaraderie, bonhomie, and shear delight of visiting one of this country's most classic localities and complemented by the visit to Steve Etche's superb museum would have no doubt made this a weekend to remember. (Not unless you are one of life's miserable, forever complaining, types).
Pictures courtesy of David Turner
Copyright R Coleman 2003