The picture above shows (centre) a shark's tooth within the Red Crag at the Naze cliff, Walton, Essex. Spotted during a 2013 visit, it is quite rare to find an Eocene shark's tooth still in situ in the cliff, seen here where it had been eroded and deposited into the more recent Red Crag.
Pictures and Reports
Maylandsea, March 2022
Early on a bright cold sunny March morning we met at the end of North Drive in Maylandsea.
We were all clad in weatherproof clothing and wellies, and before we set off, visit leader Jeff Saward showed us things we might find, including lobster juveniles ((Hoploparia) fossils, sharks teeth, phosphatic nodules, calcareous nodules and Roman artefacts.
First, there was a half mile walk along the sea wall which was quite muddy, then a careful slide down onto the beach. It was very muddy! With every additional step yet more sticky, London Clay mud clung to our wellies (making them very heavy!) but it didn’t deter us or dampen our enthusiasm.
Jeff showed us phosphatic nodules to look out for, which could contain a fossil. And there were, indeed, some interesting finds including a few fossilised lobsters, Roman sheep teeth and pottery. The Roman finds were from a Roman farmstead which had been established in the field above us for some two hundred and fifty years. Over time the clay erosion had brought their remains onto the muddy shores of the Blackwater.
The heavy London Clay mud made finding artefacts rather difficult because it was hard to spot them. Nevertheless, we all had a very enjoyable morning and benefitted greatly from Jeff’s expert knowledge of the area. We look forward to our visit next year.
