Tag: Wroxham Crag

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Weybourne

Weybourne brings together Cretaceous Chalk, shell-rich Early Pleistocene sediments and glacial deposits in a compact but changeable coastal section. Belemnites and sea urchins occur in the chalk, while the overlying Wroxham Crag preserves marine shells and much smaller traces of land mammals washed into an ancient sea. The contrast makes this a rewarding place to study different fossil communities and the long gaps between them. Collecting is best approached as a patient search of loose beach material: the steep shingle shore, tides and unstable cliffs make access demanding, and high ledges must be left alone. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦

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East Runton coast, Norfolk

East Runton

At East Runton, ancient mammal remains occur beside evidence of powerful Ice Age deformation. Shelly Early Pleistocene deposits appear on the foreshore when sand is stripped away, while enormous glacially displaced chalk rafts rise within the cliffs towards Wood Hill. Loose belemnites, echinoids, bone fragments and occasional teeth make careful beach searching worthwhile, although exposure and preservation vary greatly. This is a different fossil assemblage from the famous Freshwater Bed at West Runton. Keep a precise record of where each specimen was found and explore only while the tide leaves a safe route back to East Runton Gap. Pleistocene, Cretaceous, Cliffs and Foreshore, Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦