Locations in the Suffolk Area – a personal view

Alison Cruickshanks (UK)

Fossil collecting was never an interest of mine until I met my fiancé, husband. Alister’s interest in palaeontology is evidenced by the fact that he is production manager of this magazine and, after we first met, he started encouraging me to accompany him on collecting trips. After our first trip to Ramsholt, I quickly became fascinated in finding the remains of life that lived millions of years ago and exploring the environments in which they lived.

I have also found that there can be adventure and challenges when visiting locations to collect fossils, especially during the harsh, stormy weather conditions that are always the best time to collect. For anyone who believes that looking for fossils is boring, they should try it for themselves and find out just how exciting it really can be.

In the first part of this article, I will examine locations in my home county of Suffolk. The second part will look at the Norfolk coast and the final part will explore coastal sites on the Isle of Wight.

So far, I’ve been to five locations in Suffolk: Covehithe, Easton Bavents, Pakefield, Ramsholt and Corton. All of these I have found very interesting even though I have only found fossils at some of these places. This is because the walking and exploring can be just as exciting as finding fossils.

Ramsholt

Ramsholt used to be my home territory until I moved to the Southwold area. I was therefore surprised when I discovered that fossils could be found there. I had been sailing at this location several times in the past and had suspected nothing. I never thought to look on the foreshore where you can find fossils simply lying on the beach, waiting to be picked up. I will always remember my first trip, as the walk to the cliff where the fossils can be found seemed to go on forever. However, the walk was a pleasant one, taking us along the banks of the River Deben and through a small wooded area. Ramsholt is also a popular location for bird watchers and hikers as it has beautiful surroundings and a peaceful environment.

My first find was a coral that came from the Coralline Crag. The Coralline Crag was deposited during the Pliocene period about 3 to 5.3mya and is a white and yellow, shelly deposit packed with corals. At first, I thought it was just a lump of rock with seaweed on it until I washed it in the water. When I first spotted the ‘rock’, it looked somewhat different from the rest having a pattern of pits and holes in it. I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised when I was told it was actually a fossil.

Being new to all this, there were naturally many stones and rocks that I picked up wondering if they might be another fossil, only to find out that they were just stones. So when I found what seemed like another interesting stone and was told it was a fossil crab, I couldn’t believe my luck. This crab had probably come from the Red Crag Basement bed (see below) that, at the middle part of the cliff at Ramsholt, has slipped in front of the Coralline Crag and is frequently washed out by the sea. These fossil crabs are worn but better-preserved specimens can be found in the London Clay at beach level.

The London Clay was deposited during the Eocene period and is 49.5 to 54 million years old. You can also find lots of sharks’ teeth, fish remains, lobsters, fossil shells and even shark vertebrae from this bed. The London Clay is exposed all over the foreshore and this makes it very muddy and sticky – I should know as I got stuck in it. Apparently, the best area to collect these fossils is from under a tree where there is a rope that has been made into a swing. The London Clay Basement bed is at beach level, so at high tide, the sea washes this bed out, exposing many fossils.

Alister also showed me the Red Crag where you can find many species of fossil shells and sharks’ teeth. The Red Crag is named after the colouring of the Crag. It is 1.8 to 3 million years old and was laid down during Pliocene period. When I was first told the age of these fossils, I was shocked by how old they seemed. However, I quickly came to appreciate that they are actually comparatively ‘young’ in geological terms.

We didn’t have much time collecting at this location as the tide was coming in fast. Unfortunately, we had misread the tide times and, instead of the tide retreating, it was actually coming in. When collecting from coastal locations, it is obviously best to go on an ebb tide so that you have more time to collect and can return before the tide turns and potentially cuts you off. In this case, our mistake meant that, on our return, we had to jump over trees and branches that had fallen from the cliffs and walk through the waves that had now reached the base of the cliff. Luckily, only our feet were soaked through.

I love a good challenge and this was certainly ‘fun’. However, it must be pointed out that this was rather a stupid mistake to make and it is always vital to double check tide times as lives could be at risk if you get stranded. (A fully charged mobile phone is also a prudent accessory when collecting fossils.)

Pakefield

Unfortunately, in the last few years, the exposures at Pakefield have been covered up with sand and so fossils have been few and far between. During the right (scouring) conditions, you can normally find bones of mammals (including marine mammals) such as deer, rhino, whale and mammoth from the Forest bed that is below beach level. This bed is about 300,000 years old. Alister and his father’s collection of fossil mammal bones from this bed include three superb, large Rhino jaws that were found during such conditions.

However, you do not always need a scour at Pakefield to find fossils. You can also find Ammonites, Belemnites, Echinoids, Sponges and Reptile remains from the Boulder Clay. The Boulder Clay is a bed of deposited silt and clays, and also re-deposited rocks (erratics). This layer tends to contain more chalk erratics to the north and more Jurassic erratics to the south. The Boulder Clay was formed during the Pleistocene ice age during which the glaciers scraped and scoured the land, carrying many rocks with it from the north of England.

The Boulder Clay at Pakefield contains many rocks from the Kimmeridge Clay, some Oolite rocks and also chalk. Ammonites and Reptile remains found are from the Kimmeridge Clay and the Echinoids and Sponges are from the chalk. The Oolite rocks also contain Ammonites. These rocks are mixed in with the clay. They slip down after heavy rain and, during high tides, the sea washes away the clay just like a giant sieve. What remains are the large erratic rocks and fossils.

I watched in amazement as Alister picked out a lump of rock from a pile, hit it with his hammer and a beautiful ammonite was revealed. I had a go at trying to hit lots of different rocks but had no luck. It seems that you have to know the right kind of rock rather than hit just anything in sight (!) and this is something I hope to get better at during future fossil hunting trips.

Fossils can also be found that are simply lying on the foreshore. Alister’s own collection includes Ichthyosaur remains such as vertebrae and the snout of a young Ichthyosaur that he picked up from the foreshore, washed out from the clay one stormy winter’s day.

Easton Bavents

This location is within walking distance from our home but, unfortunately, during the last few years, sand has obscured the exposures of Norwich Crag. The Norwich Crag was laid down during the Pliocene period and is 1.6 million years old. We still keep a regular check at Easton Bavents during high tides in the hope that these exposures might become accessible once again.

My first visit there was during gale-force winds. It was almost impossible to walk as I battled my way forward, being blasted from bitterly cold, north-easterly winter air. My face was numb, my fingers frozen and the thought of a hot cup of tea was constantly on my mind. On top of that, I was told it was unlikely that we would find any fossils but, since there had been a high tide, it was important to check this location in case the sea had washed away the sands that were obscuring the cliffs. Anyone else would have thought this was a mad trip to make in numbing gale-force winds and, although we didn’t find anything, I did actually enjoy myself.

I have visited Easton Bavents a few times since then but only once after an extremely high tide. This particular tide came with gale-force, northerly winds, causing a huge swell. It battered the coasts of East Anglia, flooded towns and villages and damaged sea defences. Rivers burst their banks and roads where closed. Most sensible people kept inside in the warm but I went out with Alister to check on Easton Bavents.

We arrived with the sound of the wind howling and the awesome sight of the waves against the cliffs, clearing away the built-up sand from their base. Alister had waited several years for the opportunity to arise where the beds yielding fossils were finally uncovered. We had to wait a couple of hours until it was safe enough to go down to the shore. The sea had also broken through the nearby broads, so we had to ensure we could get back safely.

Years ago, Easton Bavents regularly yielded bones but the cliffs have gradually been retreating and the beds are becoming unproductive. No bones were found on the day but Alister’s father, Ian, found some later that week.

At the time of writing, the cliffs are sadly once again covered by wind-swept sand, making collecting impossible. The locations along this coastline change periodically. At present, beach levels at Southwold and Covehithe are very low, with Easton Bavents and Pakefield being covered deep in sand. This was not the case several years ago when Easton Bavents was being washed out several times a year and Pakefield regularly scoured out. However, at least this gives some variety to local collecting.

Corton

Years ago, Corton use to be a good location for fossils but a sea defence now protects the cliffs and prevents their erosion. Therefore, new fossils are rarely revealed. However, at the end of the concrete sea wall, the cliff occasionally slides after heavy rainfall and wave baffles occasionally fail during stormy conditions resulting in erosion of the cliff behind. It was this area that we went to examine in search of Ammonites and reptile remains from the Boulder Clay.

To get to this area, you have to walk along the sea wall footpath. During high tides, the waves splash over the path and you have to time your run correctly otherwise you will get soaked by the waves. The Boulder Clay is very similar to that at Pakefield but exposures are much more limited. Once again, on our visit there, no finds were made.

Covehithe (Easton Wood Cliff)

The first I heard about Covehithe was on the 16 March 2006 when I was told, “We have to get up at 5am the next day for low tide as Covehithe is scouring”. Alister had told me the last time this had happened was nearly 14 years ago. You can imagine how excited I was in the hope of finding some decent fossil bones.

When I awoke the following day expecting to visit Covehithe, to my surprise, Alister took me away on a weekend trip to Paris to propose. We had to get up at 5.00am to catch a train taking us to the Eurostar at Waterloo Station and that is why the white lie about the trip to Covehithe was necessary. Ironically, when we returned, we found out that Covehithe beach really had scoured out.

The area where fossils can be found is at the north end of Easton Wood Cliff. We made a quick dash down to the beach where I found my first “big finds” – part of a whale vertebrae and a partial skull of a deer. On that day, the foreshore was a deep orange and covered in fossil shells. The sea had scoured the beach down to the Norwich Crag which is why the foreshore was that colour.

Easton Wood Cliff beach rarely scours and, when it does, it only lasts a few days. During that week, Alister, Ian and I visited daily. Ian found a mammoth molar and Alister found a piece of ivory from a mammoth tusk. We also all went down there to sieve and to bring back samples, usually highly rich in small mammal remains. However, it was always a race against the tide.

The Easton Wood Cliff area requires almost perfect conditions to find any fossils. This means that the chances of finding fossils are extremely rare unless you are lucky enough to visit when the beach has scoured to the bone-bearing Norwich Crag bed below beach level. At present, the beaches are once again covered up and it may be several years until another scour yields finds. With the rise in sea level due to climate change, this may even have been the last chance to see the Norwich Crag shell beds below beach level. However, occasionally, you can still find bones during the lowest spring tides and also washed up on the beach after storms.

My explorations in the Suffolk area have been memorable and exciting. I certainly look forward to future trips in my home county in the hope that the right conditions may enable me to make further fascinating discoveries and I hope you take some inspiration from this article to visit the sites yourselves. They are certainly worthwhile.

More information on the above locations can be found at the following UK fossils websites.

UK Fossils links:
Ramsholt – http://www.ramsholt.ukfossils.co.uk/
Pakefield – http://www.pakefield.ukfossils.co.uk/
Easton Bavents – http://www.ukfossils.co.uk/Fossils-and-Geology/Easton-Bavents/Easton-Bavents.htm
Corton – http://www.ukfossils.co.uk/Fossils-and-Geology/Corton/Corton.htm
Covehithe – http://www.covehithe.ukfossils.co.uk/

In the next part of this article, I will report on locations I have visited along the North Norfolk Coastline.

Other articles in this series
Locations in the Suffolk Area – a personal view
Locations in the Norfolk Area – a personal view
Locations on the Isle of Wight – a personal view