Fossil Hunting in Lyme RegisFossil Hunting in Lyme Regis
hunters
come in many shapes and forms - some are professionals for whom it is a dead serious
business but most are people on holiday in Lyme Regis for whom a bit of fossil hunting
adds a happy distraction to an afternoon on the beach. This page is squarely aimed at the
amateur and concentrates on the fun and light hearted side of fossil hunting in Lyme
Regis.
The basics - what is a fossil?
Read on or jump to Introduction Where, when and how? What might you find? Safety and Equipment
You'll find local information via: The Lyme Regis Visitors Guide Site Home Page
Fossils were once animals or plants that lived many millions of years ago. Over this enormous passage of time their remains have been covered, compressed and turned into stone (fossilised). It is only the bones or shells of animals that appear in a fossil. For example a little further down the page there is a drawing of a whole ammonite (it look like a cross between a squid and a snail) but if you found an ammonite fossil in Lyme Regis (they are very common here) then you would only get the shell, the fleshy body having been lost to the ravages of time.
Introduction - What's it all about?
Read on or jump to Introduction Where, when and how? What might you find? Safety and Equipment
You'll find local information via: The Lyme Regis Visitors Guide
Site Home Page
Expectations of fossil hunting range tremendously. Young children go for it in a big way but often haven't the faintest notion what to expect. Their discoveries range from the genuine article to washed up sea shells and on to recently discarded lollipop sticks. Those in their early teens approach fossil hunting with a more educated mind and a secret hope that at any moment a Brontosaurus might appear, Jurassic Park style, and give chase to their irritating little brother and his hopeless lollipop stick.Adults view it in different ways, for some there is a sense of ancient mystery, a geological jigsaw to unravel or the chance of making a once-in-a-lifetime find. For others the prospect of fossil hunting ranks alongside watching paint dry in a small flat in Slough on a rainy day. Here is a suggestion for the last group - avoid the Slough experience, grab a bottle of claret, a couple of plastic beakers and go for a picnic on the beach. When you see what's going on there, I guarantee you'll be fossil hunting within half an hour......
Read on or jump to Introduction Where, when and how? What might you find? Safety and Equipment
You'll find local information via: The Lyme Regis Visitors Guide Site Home Page
Where? The most popular spot
for fossil hunting is on the beach between Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Inconveniently this
also happens to be the stretch of beach where is it is easiest to get cut off by the tide
(check tide times)so beware!
(try the Lyme Regis Tourist Office
for tide info when you're here). You can also hunt on the beaches to the West of Lyme
Regis which are particularly good for ammonites (see right).
When? Any time when the tide is low!
How? To start with, walk along the pebbled area of the beach and cast your eye over the stones. If you see a more promising stone then turn it over and have a look. More serious fossil hunters take hammers with them to crack open stones that look like they might have a hidden treasure inside.
Read on or jump to Introduction Where, when and how? What might you find? Safety and Equipment
You'll find local information via: The Lyme Regis Visitors Guide Site Home Page
In broad terms Lyme Regis fossils are the remains of water borne creatures. This is not altogether surprising as Lyme Regis is on the coast. The most common find are ammonites (also known as snakestones) whose concentric shell has a pleasing look about it. Also found in the area are Belemites (squid-like creatures whose fossilised remains look a bit like a big bullet - there's a picture of one further down the page). Gryphea and Nautili are also both found regularly and these look like clam shells and snail shells respectively. Amongst the rarer specimens that are turned up from time to time are the Ichthyosaur - a marine lizard that looked a bit like a dolphin, the Plesiosaur (see picture of blue, four finned creature below) and once in a blue moon you might find the children's favourite - the Pterodactyl (see picture of winged dinosaur below).
Points about Equipment and Safety
Read on or jump to Introduction Where, when and how? What might you find? Safety and Equipment
You'll find local information via: The Lyme Regis Visitors Guide Site Home Page
Safety
There are fossils around Lyme Regis because the cliffs are crumbling and the more they
crumble,
the more fossils
come to light. This also means it is a bad idea to hang around under a cliff - the
smallest landslip of just a single rock can give you a mighty big headache if you happen
to be standing underneath it.
Tides
As mentioned earlier, an awareness of the tide times is crucial, make sure you check the tide times either on this site or locally once
youy're here.
Hammer Serious fossil hunters take a hammer to break open promising looking stones. Some hammers come out of a day's fossil hunting rather worse for wear. If you are going to be breaking open stones, eye protection is advisable to prevent injury from flying fragments of rock
You'll find local information via: The Lyme Regis Visitors Guide Site Home Page
Other seaside activities: Beach Combing, Boats trips, sea fishing and mackerel fishing, Crabbing, Rock Pooling, Swimming.
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