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Get Ready for a Great Adventure 125 Million Years Back in Time FossilGUIDE TO Hunting on the ISLE of WIGHT Get ready for a great adventure 125 million years back in time THIS GUIDE IS SPONSORED BY Guide to Fossil Hunting on the Isle of White GUIDE TO Table of Contents Fossil Preparation Hunting Recommended Reading ................................................................................4 ON THE ISLE of WIGHT Fossil Hunting Kit ..............................................................................................6 The Best Locations for Fossil Hunting The Isle of Wight, also dubbed “Dinosaur Island” Hamstead ................................................................................................................8 amongst fervent fossil hunters, has the most Yarmouth .................................................................................................................8 significant wealth of dinosaur remains in the UK. Compton Bay ........................................................................................................9 When walking along the island’s beaches, you’ll Brighstone Bay ....................................................................................................9 often find locals and visitors searching for fossils Whitecliff Bay .......................................................................................................9 underneath the chalk cliffs. As well as over 20 Types of Fossils to Find on the Isle of Wight species of dinosaur, there is a wealth of crocodile, Dinosaur Bones .................................................................................................10 turtle, fish, reptile, mammal and pterosaur remains Fish and Shellfish ............................................................................................10 just waiting to be discovered. Crocodiles .............................................................................................................10 This guide will prepare you for a great adventure Turtles ......................................................................................................................10 125 million years back in time, when the island was Reptiles....................................................................................................................10 part of a large, subtropical river valley complex Pterosaurs .............................................................................................................11 situated at the latitude of North Africa. During this Mammals ...............................................................................................................11 time, ponds, rivers and swamps formed the home Guided Fossil Walks of millions of prehistoric creatures that roamed the Dinosaur Isle .......................................................................................................12 leafy lands… Dinosaur Expeditions ...................................................................................12 Grab your fossil hunting kit and get ready Martin Simpson (‘The Fossil Man’) .......................................................12 to dive into the captivating prehistory Legalities of the Isle of Wight. Digging Up Fossils ..............................14 Picking Up Fossils ...............................14 How to Get to the Isle of Wight On Foot ..............................................................15 By Car .........................................................15 This guide is sponsored by Red Funnel and GO Outdoors. Mantellisaurus Yaverlandia atherfieldensis 2 3 Preparation Even before embarking on your fossil hunting trip to the Isle of Wight, you can immerse yourself into the palaeontology of the region with the help of our recommended reading list. These books and literature can provide you with extensive information about the Island’s dinosaurs, pterosaurs and other fascinating fossils. When getting ready to set out, make sure to pack the appropriate equipment to investigate the fossils you might find – and stay safe in the process. Our recommended fossil hunting kit includes all the items you might need to find, investigate and collect remnants of hundreds of millennia ago. When getting ready to set out, make sure to pack the Recommended Reading appropriate equipment to Dinosaurs of the Fossil Hunting on Isle of Wight by Dinosaur Island by investigate the fossils you David M. Martill and Martin Simpson (1998). might find – and stay safe in Darren Naish (2001). A useful guide by the This comprehensive Isle of Wight’s very own the process. guide describes ‘Fossil Man’, Martin all of the major Simpson. groups of dinosaurs British Mesozoic Fossils found on the Isle by the Natural History of Wight, including Museum (1983). Includes illustrations and extensive illustrations descriptions of every single for identifying fossils. species. British Caenozoic Fossils by the Geologists’ Association Guides: Natural History Museum (2001). The Isle of Wight by Allan Insole, Includes extensive illustrations Brian Daley and Andy Gale (1998). for identifying fossils. This book features walking The Shaping of the Isle of Wight guides which focus on the With an Excursion Guide Island’s geology. by Eric Bird (1997). 4 5 Fossil Hunting Kit l Magnifying glass What to Wear l High vis jacket l Compass l Head torch l Safety glasses Compass High Vis Jacket l Geological hammer, picks l Windproof jacket Quality, hard wearing compass A durable, highly reflective and chisels l Trowel & spade l Walking boots in a day glow design 3M Scotchlite vest that will l to prevent it Storage container/specimen bags keep others well aware of l Walking trousers (and you) l Note pad l Drysack l Water bottle your presence. l Fleece getting lost. l Toothbrush l Camera l First aid kit l Survival bag l Fossil Hunting Guide Walking Trousers Tough, quick drying and comfortable walking trousers. First Aid Kit A handy first aid kit in a Windproof Jacket tough, waterproof bag that A lightweight, minimalist can be worn on your belt or jacket that’ll keep you warm clipped to your pack. when the temperature drops. Drysack Protect your gear and keep it organised with fully waterproof, colour-coded dry bags for inside your pack. Walking Boots Lightweight, comfortable and waterproof, everything you want from a walking boot. Water Bottle Stay hydrated when you’re on the go. 6 Guide to Fossil Hunting on the Isle of Wight Guide to Fossil Hunting on the Isle of Wight 7 The Best Locations for Fossil Hunting BRIGHSTONE BAY Brighstone Bay made its fame when a partial sauropod skeleton was found The Isle of Wight has some of the near Portsmouth best beaches for fossil hunting University. Lots in the UK, boasting a remarkable of fossils can diversity of specimens be found here spanning the whole of the – especially Cretaceous period. Multiple reptile and layers of fossil-bearing beds dinosaur remains. When from the Vectis and Wealden walking along the eras are exposed on the southern foreshore you might stumble half of the Island, while the north features Eocene upon some, but the best opportunities beds and Oligocene deposits of amongst others arise when erosion and cliff falls lay bare mammals and crocodiles. new layers of bed. We also recommend If you’re going fossil hunting on the Isle of Wight, we visiting the plant debris bed east of strongly recommend visiting the following sites. Grange Chine, whose hard surface is full of plant remains, teeth and bones. HAMSTEAD YARMOUTH COMPTON BAY WHITECLIFF BAY One of the best locations for finding The coastline of Yarmouth, located at the The entire stretch of coast along Compton Whitecliff Bay is a unique fossil beach fossils, Hamstead has a high density of mouth of the small Western Yar river in Bay offers opportunities to find the on the Isle of Wight, as it allows visitors perfectly preserved petrified remains. the west of the Island, are scattered with footprints, bones and even teeth of the to scour through various Eocene beds Crocodile and turtle plates and crocodile fossils of mammals, crocodiles, turtles, dinosaurs that once roamed these very of soft sands and clays, separated by teeth are most commonly found along crustaceans and fish. Molluscs, plants grounds. Walk the Isle of Wight Coastal an unconformity from the underlying this stretch of coast, and freshwater and seeds are sometimes found simply Path along the cliff or follow the foreshore Cretaceous Chalk Formation. Due to molluscs are often found within the lying on the foreshore, so keep your when the tide is low to find the fossils the geological folding that occurred Hamstead Member. Using a sieve, eyes peeled! that the Island is most famous for. during the Alpine orogeny, the strata you can extract fossil seeds from the TIP: explore Yarmouth and its castle WARNING: at high tide, the sea covers the in the main section of Compton Bay Bouldnor Formation between Yarmouth before or after your fossil hunt. sandy beach almost completely, so make are vertical, with the north featuring and Hamstead. sure to keep an eye on the tide table. younger rocks. The Barnes High sauropod 8 Guide to Fossil Hunting on the Isle of Wight Guide to Fossil Hunting on the Isle of Wight 9 Brighstone Bay, as well as in locations such Types of Fossils to Find as Yaverland, Sheperds Chine, Whale Chine and Brook Bay. In 2016, experts from the on the Isle of Wight Dinosaur Isle museum identified the bone belonging to a Plesiosaur, a large predatory The Isle of Wight plays host to many different types of fossils spanning the whole of the
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