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Lyme Regis Fossil Beach (Ammonite Pavement)

Name: Lyme Regis Fossil Beach (Ammonite Pavement)
Address: Lyme Regis, England, GB

Recomendado por 18 habitantes locales,

Consejos de residentes locales

Lucy

February 24, 2022

At the western end of Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis heading towards Seven Rock Point and Pinhay Bay, you’ll find a spectacular graveyard of fossils known as the Ammonite Pavement. Here the remains of thousands of ammonites, an extinct group of marine molluscs, are embedded in the limestone ledge. The rocks record a time 199 million years ago, when marine ecosystems were returning to normal after the Late Triassic period mass extinction. The main species is the dinner plate-sized ammonite, Coroniceras. Most of the ammonites have a well-preserved outer coil and a crushed middle. Some of the remains stand proud of the limestone where the softer rock has been eroded away. The ledge is exposed at low tide and extends from the base of the cliffs. Many of the surrounding boulders contain large fossil ammonites. According to the Natural History Museum, the fossil ledge is the only one of its kind in the world - nowhere else features so many big ammonites, which are up to 70 centimetres in diameter. The Jurassic Period began 200 million years ago when sea levels rose and transformed the Triassic desert into a shallow tropical sea. With the new marine habitats came a profusion of marine life and many of the animals living at the time are preserved as fossils. One site in particular shows the potential for our Jurassic rocks to contain a spectacular abundance of fossils – the ammonite pavement. Taking a short walk west along Monmouth Beach at low tide will bring you to a number of limestone ledges, washed clear by the sea. On the surface of one of them are hundreds of large fossilised ammonites. No one really knows why there are so many in this particular layer and no photograph can do it justice – it has to be seen to be believed. If you do visit it is important not to try and collect these ammonites as they are protected!

Paul

June 18, 2021

Paul's tip: park at the top of town if you're energetic - and walk down to avoid the parking charges. (Remember to leave some energy in reserve for the walk back up!)