How to find fossil at Lyme Regis
By Chris Andrew, Fossilwise
Lyme Regis is world famous as a rich collecting site for lower Jurassic fossils, and this reputation is richly deserved. However, expectations often need to be reined in slightly. Fossil collecting is a skill that requires knowledge. Luck certainly plays a part, but when you see the spectacular collections owned by local collecting enthusiasts you can’t put it all down to luck. You need to know what to look for, and recognise it when you see it. Knowing when and where to look for fossils at Lyme Regis is also important. Here are some basic tips to improve your chance of leaving the beach with decent finds.
When to Collect
Tides
The most basic information you need is the time of the low tide in Lyme Regis. A Google search of 'Lyme Regis Tide Times' will tell you what is coming soon. Don’t go out at low tide or the tide will immediately be starting to come in. Aim to go out fossil collecting 2-3 hours prior to low tide. The exact time will depend on the height of the tide that day and the strength of the wind. Don’t be tempted to walk along the ribbon of exposed beach at the base of the cliff. This exposes you to the hazard of rockfalls, especially in winter after heavy rains. Keep and eye on the tide as the steep cliffs around Lyme Regis and Charmouth can mean you get cut off when the tide comes in. Especially if a large rockfall (some can be half a million tons or more!) has blocked the top of the beach.
A good day to collect! Or more exactly, after this storm would be a great opportunity to find fossils.
A very bad day for fossil hunting.
Time of year
The fossils you want to collect are in the layers of limestones, shales and clays that form the cliffs and ledges along the Lyme Coast. Attacking the cliffs and ledges with a hammer is dangerous and illegal! It’s also unnecessary, natural erosion will do much of the work for you. Most erosion occurs in winter when there are rough seas and heavy rain.
Unfortunately, most general visitors come to Lyme in July and August. The sea is flat, the sky blue and the sun is out. Hopeless conditions for collecting. What you need to listen for on the weather forecast is the phrase “Danger of structural damage”. Going out when the weather is so rough can be dangerous, but it will often improve collecting for the following weeks when the weather has cleared and it is safe to go out on the beach. This is because not only has it potentially caused rock falls and mudflows from the cliffs, but it will also have turned over all the material on the beach revealing new fossils.
Immediately after a storm can be difficult (and potentially unsafe), sometimes the material you want to look at is covered in seaweed washed form the kelp beds exposed at low water. Alternatively fine sand might now cover the dark Jurassic clays. The following normal tides will gradually sort the sediment and remove the storm debris.
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When the beach looks good in winter, commercial and keen amateur collectors might go out very early in the morning, sometimes so early they need headband torches!
What to take Collecting
The first thing everybody feels they need is a hammer. A hammer is undoubtedly useful, but only if you know what to hammer. Someone once said “give a young child a hammer and they discover everything they encounter requires hammering”. Twenty years experience of leading group walks has shown this to be true. If you are just starting to collect begin by just using your eyes. Especially in winter it is amazing what you can just “find on the beach”.
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A great piece of kit you will be glad you brough is an old rucksack. You will be able to carry your finds much more easily and it leaves you hands free, which can be useful if you slip. For younger children it is also a great gift to buy your parents prior to a visit to Lyme. Some wrapping paper and plastic containers with lids can also be handy for small and delicate finds. You’ll be disappointed if you get back to find you best discovery has been damaged banging against other rocks in your bag, or you’ve lost the middle section of a fossil that was in three pieces.
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When you get a bit more knowledge (and have decided fossil collecting is the hobby for you) you will want to consider other equipment such as hammers. These can be purchased from ZOIC PalaeoTech online. I recommend the hickory handled hammers for Lyme Regis. The 2.2lb is perfect for adults, but younger people may wish to go for a 300g or 500g hammer. You very rarely need a chisel in Lyme.
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A final bit of kit to consider is a hand lens. Tiny fossils may not be as spectacular as a large ammonite, but they can be scientifically important and tell fascinating stories. Especially if your getting older and your eyesight isn’t as good (I speak from experience) a hand lens can be helpful. Some of the most interesting and unusual small fossils are insects. They appear as small dark smudges on freshly broken rocks. Many such dark smudges turn out to be fragments of plant or just unidentified spots. You need a hand lens to make out the detail of the fossil.
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If you do want some more equipment you might find there are less expensive places to buy it than shops in Lyme. ZOIC PalaeoTech have a website that specialises in equipment and supplies for fossil collectors. This can be everything from a small hand lens to the latest in fossil preparation tools. They also have great articles and information on the use of equipment in fossil preparation and conservation.
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You will need to wear sensible footwear, the beach is uneven and slippery in places. There can also be some sharp metal and glass from the old rubbish dump at the top of the cliff. It is not the place for children to be barefoot. In winter especially there can be soft sticky clay, at these times wellies can be useful, they are also easier to clean then boots.
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On hot days in summer (we do get them sometimes!) a drink will be needed. Younger children might appreciate a snack as well.
How to find fossils at Lyme Regis
Many fossils found at Lyme Regis wash out of the soft clays and can be found loose on the beach. The easiest first tip is to look for regular shapes, most creatures are regular and symmetrical. People usually pick up any rock with an odd shape and pattern, and then try to think what fossil it is. Every rock on the beach has a shape and pattern, most are not fossils. Most fossils, especially good ones have a recognisable shape. Some you will immediately recognise what they are, because they are so like their living relatives. The next step is to try to think about fossils you know, such as ammonites. Think what broken sections would look like, and what they would look like if worn through in a rock. Most fossils on the beach do not look like the specimens you see in a museum.
These ichthyosaur finds (lower jaw and paddle) were found loose on the beach in the shingle. They looked pretty much as they do now, with fossil preparation required! Whilst you won't find an entire ichthyosaur loose, you probably wouldn't find one anyway. For most new collectors, loose bits like this form the foundation of their collection.
How to find fossils in rocks (splitting rocks)
The cliffs at Lyme are made of many different layers of rock. The layers at the bottom of the cliff are many millions of years older than those at the top. Different ages of rock will contain different fossils. These rocks were formed in different environmental conditions. This will affect the type of creatures they might contain and how common different types of creature are. A limestone formed in a shallow warm sea might be rich in corals and other invertebrates. A shale formed in anoxic deeper water would contain no creatures from the sea floor, unless washed in from elsewhere. It might, however, contain remains of creatures that lived in the oxygenated waters above and fell to the soft mud of the sea floor when they died. The lack of oxygen in the mud could preserve soft organic remains that usually would decay. These remains would be flattened in the soft shale. However a hard limestone might contain fossils preserved in three dimensions, but lacking any soft parts. You need to consider these factor when choosing a rock to split.
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One of the main things collectors look for at Lyme Regis are the nodules. These are hard limestone lumps that form in the clays and shales. The ones collectors want are those that formed around the remains of creatures in the mud of the sea floor. The nodules formed early in the history of the mud, before enough had accumulated to crush the fossil flat. As the nodules formed they tended to expand most along the bedding layers of the rock. This means they tend to form a shape I describe as a pregnant smartie, although they don’t have to be round. They can be tubular or dumbbell shaped. There are many different layers of nodules in the cliffs. Some are good for fossils others not. It is the nodules that contain many of the ammonites you will see in the shops and museums at Lyme Regis. If you join me on a private fossil walk, I can show you how to recognise and split fossil-bearing (hopefully) nodules.
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A variety of calcite filled ammonites from nodules at Lyme Regis. (L-R) Asteroceras, Caenisites and Promicroceras. These fossils usually require specialist tools for fossil preparation, and very rarely split perfectly. They are amongst some of the most attractive and desirable fossils in Lyme Regis. We normally get a few small calcite ammonites from splitting nodules on fossil walks.
Other interesting things to look for on the Lyme Regis beaches
The cliffs to the east of Lyme Regis (Church Cliff) had the town rubbish dump at the top. Much of this came down to beach level in the 2008 fall. Ever since a variety of rubbish has been on this beach. Much of it is comparatively modern, but it does include older material. This includes coins, medals, badges, musket balls and other household items. Sadly almost all of the 2008 slip has now washed away. However, I am sure more material will fall in the future. Here are a range of interesting things from the tip. This rubbish is also a source of many of the things commonly mistaken for fossils.
Some finds from the old Lyme Regis town dump, which has now slipped off the top of the cliff and onto the beach (that's erosion for you). Most of it has now eroded away, but plenty of interesting finds still show up! We've seen everything from false teeth, to jewellery, a German pistol, money, and plenty of weird and wonderful Victorian remedies.
How to start learning to look for fossils in Lyme Regis
Arguably, the biggest head start you can get in your fossil hunting career is booking a guided fossil walk. This will teach you what to look for and how to find fossils in that particular place. Even if you collect fossils elsewhere, it's beneficial to learn what the fossiliferous nodules look like, which parts of the beach are productive, and to have an experienced guide on hand to help with identifications!
At Fossilwise, we do public guided fossil walks at Lyme Regis (groups of up to 22 people) and private guided fossil walks in the winter months (when you are most likely to find more fossils and will benefit from having a private guide most).
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Social media is a great place to ask questions. Just be sure to include clear photographs taken in natural light with a scale bar if you are asking for an identification. There are Facebook groups for Dorset, generally the UK, fossil preparation, beachcombing and so much more.