They were related to the nautilus which has survived the Cretaceous/Tertiary extinction, and also to the octopus (Coleoidea). The organisms once living in these shells were extinct cephalopods, members of the Subclass Ammonoidea of the Mollusca. The specimen in the ledges have been eroded through to some extent. Large ammonites occur in the loose blocks on the shore as shown above at Chippel Bay, and are also present at East Cliff and Church Cliffs, Black Ven, Charmouth and localities further east. And to help towards this end has been the chief motive of the work resulting in these notes." [Now reade the classic works of (Lang, 1914 1924 etc) Thus it is that, although hundreds of species are known and described from the Lyme district, our knowledge of their exact horizons, so necessary for unravelling their evolution, is very small. It is true that a large amount of time and labour are necessary, whether for obtaining fine specimens or a succession of forms whose exact horizon is known and really to learn their evolutionary sequence it is essential either to live in the neighbourhood for some time or regularly to revisit the locality for a great number of years. Those, on the other hand, whom the evolutionary history and, consequently, the order of succession of the fossils interests, learn that for one specimen found in place in its bed, twenty are picked up loose on the cliff-slopes and on the beach. Those to whom the fossils appeal chiefly as specimens of form and shape, having heard much of Lyme as a collecting ground, seen in museums fossils from the neighbourhood in numbers and in fine preservation, and read their descriptions in the works of De la Beche, Buckland, Sowerby, and others learn by experience that specimens such as they expect to find are commonest in the cottages of fishermen and in the shops of Lyme. Visitors to Charmouth and Lyme who come with intention of finding fossils are often disappointed at the results of their collecting. The fossil collecting codes of conduct for thes area should be consulted.Ī good perspective on fossil collecting in the Lyme Regis area has been given, many years ago, by Dr. Charmouth Parish Council controls cliffs between Lyme Regis and Hythe Beach at Burton Bradstock. Note that some land in the area belongs to the National Trust. In spite of this it is possible to find some good fossils and the common ones are frequently seen, of course.įor those interested in serious fossil collecting please follow the policies of Jurassic Coast, the UNESCO World Heritage Coast. The cliffs are searched over very thoroughly. This is partly because of sea defences obscuring some of the section, but particularly because there are numerous collectors in the area, including professional collectors who obtain specimens for shops or sell them directly. Good specimens are not as easy to find as in the past. Some introductory information and illustrations of selected species are given below. Lyme Regis is, of course, famous for its Liassic fossils. (collecting is more difficult than might be expected!) Liassic Fossils at Lyme Regis and Charmouth. (You can download this educational site to SurfOffline or similar software to keep an offline copy, but note that updating of the live version takes place periodically.) Webpage hosted by courtesy of iSolutions, Southampton University Internet site: Revised version: 20th January 2015.įaculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Fossils of the Lias: Geology of the Wessex Coast.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |