Tag: Cromer Forest Bed

Read More

West Runton

West Runton brings together two very different fossil worlds: Cretaceous chalk on the shore and the much younger West Runton Freshwater Bed at the foot of the cliffs. The latter preserved a river-valley community of mammals, fish, freshwater shells and plants, including the celebrated steppe mammoth Mammuthus trogontherii. When sand has been washed away, the chalk platform reveals flints and marine fossils. Search loose beach material carefully, keep a record of each find and treat these scientifically important exposures with care. Tides, shifting sand and unstable cliffs determine what can safely be seen. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦

Read More

Mundesley

Mundesley combines a family seaside beach with a significant Pleistocene fossil record. Today, casual collectors are most likely to find echinoids and sponges preserved in flint, reworked onto the shore from much older deposits. The Cromer Forest-bed succession has also yielded important elephant remains and evidence of cold-climate plants, although such beds are not continuously exposed and mammal finds are uncommon. Sea defences, sand cover and changing beach levels strongly influence what can be seen. Search loose foreshore stones at a suitable low tide, enjoy the geology from a safe distance and leave protected exposures undisturbed. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦